It is Our Choices
by VeraRose19
Summary: It is our choices who make us who we are. A look at Red's life as a young wife and mother living in America. Even with the best of intentions, sometimes we find ourselves falling into a hole we can't get out of. One impulsive moment can have dire consequences, as Galina Reznikov learns very well. [Complete]
1. Chapter 1

**A grim look at what Red's life might have been like pre-Litchfield.**

 **I do not own Orange is the New Black.**

The deafening cries and shrieks emitting from the small apartment above the store should have been offensive to anybody's ears, but Galina Reznikov barely registered it. At two years old, nearly everything was offensive to her current youngest child, Maxim-especially bedtime. There were always more exciting things to do that falling asleep, and the little boy never seemed to fathom how his mother could stand a moment without his company. Wouldn't she be lonely?

Galina chuckled to herself as she collapsed onto the threadbare sofa she had found on consignment. The covers hid the well-worn cushions and whatever, it was comfortable. The truth was that without her sons she would certainly be terribly lonely. However, that didn't mean she wasn't above hurrying them into bed at the end of a long day and then gleefully tucking into long wakeful hours of blissful solitude in the rarely quiet home.

This was her time, the hours she depended on every day to nurture her introverted spirit and regain some hold upon her sanity, which she still had to question on a daily basis. She never did anything special; sometimes she read, sometimes she had a bubble bath, sometimes she baked, and sometimes she wrote letters back home to her family in Russia. It didn't matter what she did, it was her time to do with as she pleased. The only hours that nobody was demanding things of her and that she wasn't working. Nights were sacred.

"Mama," grinned a devilish little child, as he tiptoed out of the bedroom she had just put him it.

Over the sound of his brother's tantrum, Galina hadn't heard her oldest expertly climbing over the child gate she had installed to keep Maxim in the room since she had transitioned him from the crib into a real bed. Curled up on the end up the sofa, Galina gave Yuri a frown and pointed back to the door he had just emerged from.

"Bed," she told him sternly.

Yuri put on his most innocent of looks. "Mama, I need a hug and a kiss goodnight."

"I already gave you a hug and kiss," Galina replied tiredly. "Right when I tucked you into your bed, read you a story, and brought you a glass of water-in case those were going to be your next excuses."

"But I didn't kiss and hug my baby sister," Yuri answered sweetly, a smile that showed all of his teeth appearing on his sweet face. As his mother's expression softened, Yuri hurried forward and wrapped his arms around Galina's rounded middle. He kissed the bump through her red cotton maternity dress and then whispered gently. "Goodnight, baby sister."

"That's sweet, honey," Galina cooed, stroking Yuri's reddish hair back with a hand. "But you know that the baby could be a little brother and that would be nice too."

Yuri shook his head stubbornly. "I already have a little brother," he explained. "So now I need a sister."

"Well, you're just going to have to wait and see," Galina replied, hugging her son. "When I find out, you'll be the first person I tell. Alright?"

"Yes," Yuri nodded.

"But until then, no more excuses," Galina reproached him, sliding seamlessly back into her sterner voice. "It's bedtime, and tomorrow is another busy day." Kicking her feet back onto the floor, Galina pushed up using her arm for support and then reached for Yuri's hand. "Let's go," she told him.

"Mama, I want you to sleep with me," Yuri said predictably, the same way he did every night.

"I will later," Galina assured him. "But I'm not going to bed yet. It's time for little boys to be in bed though…. now, be quiet. I think Maxim fell asleep." She lifted her four-year-old son over the gate he was clearly more than capable of climbing, and then stepped over it herself. The dark small bedroom that her two sons shared was now blissfully silent, except for Maxim's gentle snore. Yuri scampered into his bed and beamed as his mother leaned down to lift the blankets up over him.

Wrapping his arms around her neck, he gave her a big kiss on the lips and giggled. "I love you, Mama."

Giving her son a quick kiss back in response, she smiled. "I love you too," Galina told him, "now get to sleep. Tomorrow is another busy day."

Galina turned around to check on Maxim, who was sleeping angelically in his own little bed. Dressed snuggly in footie pajamas he had no need for blankets on a warm summer night. Taking care not to disturb him, she leaned down to kiss his fair hair before stepping over the gate again and leaving both her boys to their dreams.

She padded into the bathroom and turned to stare at herself in the mirror above the sink. Not surprisingly her eyeliner had smeared since she had last inspected herself, but the dark lines spread to the side looked almost deliberate and she decided she liked the effect. Other than that, there wasn't much to say. Her skin was still pasty and pale despite spending many hours outdoor in the sunshine with two rambunctious young boys. Her long red hair was in desperate need of washing since it probably reeked of the onions she'd been cooking with all day. Most interestingly, of course, was the rounded stomach where her baby was growing.

Galina's lips curved slightly in a smile, as she undid the buttons down the front of her dress and then brushed her hands over the bump. Her skin was soft aside from the red grooves from stretch marks that raced along her abdomen. Although she had already grown to surpass what one would expect a woman only four months along to be, the scars on her stomach were the artwork of the two little boys who had come before this baby. However, Galina had no doubt that in due course this third child would add its own prints to her canvas.

She finished undressing all the way and then turned around to put in the plug and fill the tub up with lots of hot water. Women were advised to stick to warm baths while expecting, but Galina had generally made very little modifications to her regular life to accommodate her pregnancy. She worked hard, slept little, and chased after kids all day probably breaking about a dozen pregnancy rules in the process. If her back was aching and she wanted to unwind, then without hesitation she'd indulge herself in a hot bath without guilt. It was enough that she had been abstaining from her regular nightcap since learning she was with child.

She climbed into the tub while the water was still running and leaned back while her foot nestled beneath the spray. Her husband would complain about the water bill being too high but Galina would worry about that another time. She'd been surrounded by people all day and now she just craved some solitude. She shut her eyes as she kicked her foot up to turn off the tap as it filled to the max. Her shoulders and legs were submerged, but Galina had to use her hands to splash water up over her swollen stomach. She dipped deeper down into the pool, bending her legs so that her head was dipped back. The water plugged her ears and she didn't here anybody come in, not until she opened her eyes to feel her husband's shadow standing over her.

"Hello," Galina said dully, sitting up slightly with some difficulty. Ger hands began to stroke up and down her stomach protectively. She didn't miss the look he had given her body. It was not a look of admiration, or appreciation, or lust, but a cursory glance. Her body was something in the room, but nothing special. Dmitri knew what she looked like without clothes, he barely reacted to her when she removed them.

"You're getting big," Dmitri commented, as he moved back to lean against the bathroom sink with his arms crossed. "You almost don't fit in the bathtub anymore."

"Just enough," Galina rolled her eyes, as she splashed her hands in the water slightly. "Where have you been?" The question was more automatic than because she was genuinely curious. Dmitri rarely got home before dark, in fact he had come back earlier than usual today. Usually he wouldn't be back for another hour or so. Maybe that would bother most wives, but Galina preferred the solidarity of her days; with a husband who left before the kids got up and didn't tend to come home until they were tucked away in their beds. She didn't miss him. And maybe he knew that. Maybe that was why he stayed gone so much.

"At Ganya's," Dmitri replied. "He had some work for me. I'll probably be late again tomorrow."

"Okay," Galina said indifferently. She dunked her head back and then reached for her shampoo. Pouring a measured amount into the palm of her hand, Galina brushed it back through her hair and began running her fingers through the red locks.

"How was the store today?" Dmitri asked.

Galina shrugged. "We did alright," she replied. "The morning was quite steady. A lot of coffee drinkers."

"Make sure you're upselling," Dmitri advised, earning a haughty huff from his wife. "Offer them something sweet to go with the coffee."

Instead of responding, Galina leaned back to submerge her head back in the bath and rinse the shampoo from her hair. She took her time, irritated that her husband was still just standing there staring. It felt like an invasion of space. Even though she hadn't seen him since the morning, that had no merit to her right now. She just felt like being alone. It had been a long day.

"So, Ganya likes your work?" Galina asked, as she sat back up again. She reached for her washcloth and poured some soap onto it. "What exactly are you doing for him?" she asked, as she ran the brush across her breasts.

"Just some odd jobs," Dmitri replied. "You wouldn't understand. I'm so tired now though. Are you going to be much longer? I want to take a shower."

"Give me a minute," Galina said stiffly, as she washed the rest of her body as best she could from a sitting down position. "Maybe it would be less awkward if you weren't hovering over me?" It bothered her that he didn't spare any mind for how she was doing at home with the kids all day. Dmitri just expected her to juggle everything, because she was the wife and the mother, and that's what she was supposed to do. He hadn't even asked her how the boys were, and this enraged Galina because he hadn't seen them all day and didn't care. He said he'd get more involved when they were older and could do things with him.

"Well, this is the only time I get to talk to you," Dmitri replied shortly.

Galina sighed as she dropped her wash cloth against the edge of the tub and reached for her razor. "Have you thought more about names?" she asked. "I still like Vasily for a boy."

"It's not going to be a boy," Dmitri said confidently. "But I don't really like that name anyway."

"Well, it could be another boy," Galina reminded him. "I like Zoya for a girl. Do you?"

"Yes, that's pretty," Dmitri nodded. "Or what about Rozalina?"

"No," Galina shook her head firmly. "A girl by that name was mean to me in elementary school. So, I don't like it." She lifted her leg with some difficulty so that she could shave it. The position left her quite exposed, but Dmitri barely noticed. She didn't care; it wasn't like she had been trying to seduce him. She finished the right and then worked on her other leg.

"I have an appointment a week from tomorrow," she reminded him. "We'll find out what we're having then."

"Make sure you call me as soon as you know," Dmitri ordered.

Galina nodded. "Will you pass me a towel?" she asked, as she pulled out the stopper to begin draining the water from the tub. She got up clumsily, using the edge of the tub for support. Beads of water dripped down off of her body as she accepted the towel that her husband handed her.

"Thank you," Galina said, wrapping the towel around herself, and stepping out of the tub.

"Hey," Dmitri grabbed her arm and pulled her back as she passed him, "I missed you," he leaned down to brush her lips with his own.

"Really?" said Galina skeptically, with raised eyebrows, when he had finally removed his lips from hers.

"Very much, I love you" Dmitri looked his wife dead in the eye. "Now this is the part where you say you love me."

Galina turned her back on him to walk out of the bathroom and peeked into the bedroom to check on her sleeping babies. Deep down she knew they were fine, but she couldn't stop herself from frequently checking to ensure they were both still breathing. She did this multiple times a night.

It was strange how the two little beings who had brought Galina more joy then she had ever known before, could also provoke so much of her anxiety. But she carried all the worries of the boys on her own, almost as if she was a single mother. She rarely confided in Dmitri about her parenting concerns because she wouldn't listen to his advice anyway and talking to him only ever intensified her self-doubt.

Once confirming that her boys were fine, Galina went into her bedroom and slipped her cotton nightgown over her head. She didn't plan to go to sleep yet but decided to be comfortable. She slipped on her underwear and then turned around to see her husband walking into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"That was fast," Galina observed, referencing the quick shower he had taken once she had gotten out of the tub.

"You used up all the hot water," Dmitri complained, "I had to be quick."

"Oh," Galina murmured unapologetically, as she made to walk out of the room. Her progress was halted however, when her husband reached out a hand and gripped onto her arm tightly.

"Do you want to have sex?" Dmitri asked bluntly.

"Not particularly," Galina replied honestly, attempting to shake off the hand that was holding her.

"We haven't done it in a long time," Dmitri complained. "You can't keep me waiting any longer."

"That's because I've been very sick," Galina reminded him, as she succeeded in freeing her arm. It was the truth. She'd been plagued with debilitating nausea and vomiting since the early weeks of her pregnancy and it was only by taking a lot of prescribed medication to treat the Hyperemesis Gravidarum, that she had managed to even remotely function.

"You've been using feeling sick as an excuse for months," Dmitri told her, dropping the towel from around his waist. "And you're better now. I can't wait any longer."

Exhaling slowly in exasperation, Galina did not refuse again as she allowed her husband to take her hand and lead her back over to their neatly made bed. He pulled back the covers and she laid down, tucking the pillow beneath her chin. She wrapped her arms around her large stomach and waited for Dmitri to initiate things. He sat down beside her on the bed and used one hand to lift the blue cotton nightgown she was wearing up. Then he tugged the white cotton panties she was wearing down that had a thick maxi pad affixed to them.

"I've forgotten how disgusting you are when you're pregnant," he laughed, "you seriously need to wear that so you don't pee your pants?"

"You wouldn't laugh if you'd been pregnant three times," Galina said defensively, "and sometimes the baby presses on my bladder in weird ways."

"That's gross," said Dmitri quickly, "don't talk about that anymore." He petted her down there and ignored the way she seemed to recoil from his hand. She wasn't always this cold to him, but they hadn't been intimate since Galina had gotten sick at the beginning of this pregnancy and there was an extra layer of awkwardness that Dmitri was fighting to overcome. He pulled his wife close to him and held her tightly through the act, trying to pretend that she wanted it as much as he did. When it was done, his kissed her forehead and then moved away from er.

"I'm starting to get happy about it, you know" he confessed "Another baby that we created with our love. I love you, Galina." He rubbed her belly and then brought his hand up to cup her face. She was lying on her side facing away from him as he moved in her gently, wanting this to last as long as he could.

"Do you love me too?" Dmitri asked her.

"I love you," Galina whispered quietly. She bit her lip and hugged the pillow she was resting her head on.  
As Dmitri continued to plunge inside of her, Galina could no longer resist the urge to move with him. Rocking up and down, she grabbed his leg and sandwiched it between hers. She rolled as far onto her back as her comfort would allow, almost lying in his arms, and then hugged his leg towards her. Slowly and strongly she began to grind against his leg. Using it for pressure on her clit as Dmitri continued to sink even deeper inside of her.

Her heart was beating more rapidly now as she breathlessly inhaled and exhaled hurriedly. Her body rose and fell with months of captivated desires into an orgasm so strong that it caused her to dig her nails as deep into Dmitri's leg as she could, leaving obvious scratches. He began to thrust more fiercely, moaning loudly against her ear as he came too. He didn't know how he had survived all the long months of abstinence.

"That was amazing," Dmitri exclaimed tiredly, hugging her tightly. Galina nodded her agreement and then wriggled away to separate their joined bodies.

"Are you going to bed now?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Dmitri replied. "Are you?"

"No," Galina shook her head, "I want to read my book."

"Okay then," Dmitri gave her another kiss, "goodnight, I love you."

Galina hesitated, "I love you, too," she said reluctantly. She rolled out of the bed and searched for her underwear that he had tossed onto the floor. Pulling them back up her legs, Galina gave her husband one final look before walking out into the living room where she could be alone. She fetched her book from the desk and then curled up on the sofa to read. She had read less than a full page, when she felt an urgent need to check on her sleeping boys again.

After confirming they were still fine, Galina walked to check that the outside door was locked. It wasn't. Dmitri must have forgotten when he'd come in. "F**king idiot," Galina grumbled to herself in annoyance. She started walking back to the living room when she began to panic that she might have forgotten to lock the door of the store when she closed up for the night. Anybody could break in if she'd forgotten!

Turning on her heel, Galina went back to the entry to put her shoes on. Then she hurried down the exterior stairs to check on the store. All was well, but she retraced her steps twice, as if to confirm that the door hadn't magically become unlocked in the few seconds since she had last checked it. Galina knew her behaviour was irrational, but she couldn't seem to help herself. If drove Dmitri crazy, how she was always worrying about whether she had forgotten to lock the doors or turn the stove off. Sometimes Galina could be very peculiar and her hormones seriously triggered her anxiety.

She yawned as she walked back up the stairs and into the apartment. She locked the door carefully behind her and then kicked her shoes off. Feeling too tired to read, she decided to abandon the attempt and just go to sleep instead. She went to check on her sleeping boys one final time and then decided to just spend the night in there instead. Yuri was bound to end up in his parents' bed before morning anyway, and Dmitri always complained when that happened. She crawled into the bed beside her sleeping son and kissed his plump cheek softly.

Galina's last thought before she drifted off was that she hoped neither of her sons would wake her up before morning. She was tired.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews. I'm so glad you enjoyed.**

"Mama! You slept with me!" Yuri's voice exclaimed early the next morning. A tiny finger stabbed itself into her closed eyelid, jolting Galina abruptly awake.

"Good morning, honey," Galina mumbled, with her eyes still closed tightly. Her hand reached up to clutch at the offending fingers that had poked her. Bringing Yuri's tiny hand to her mouth she kissed its base and then smiled.

"Mama, mama you got to wake up," Yuri commanded, shaking Galina's shoulder with his free hand. She shook her head in refusal which only caused her son to intensify his jostling. "Mama, mama, mama," he called, erupting into a fit of giggles. Galina groaned and rolled onto her back. Her hand reached up to brush her hair out of her face and she peered up at him.

"Someday, my boy, you're going to grow up to be a teenager and I promise I will never let you get an extra moment's rest in the morning," Galina informed him. Yuri just giggled and leaned over to kiss his mother's lips.

"It's not sleep time," he reminded her. "You have to make me breakfast."

"Beck-fest" a little voice called. Galina turned her head to see Maxim sitting up adorably in his bed, with his blankie clutched in his tiny fists.

"Oh, I have two boys awake," Galina murmured, opening her arm out to her youngest son with a smile. Maxim immediately scampered off of his own smaller bed and over to his mother's side.

"Good morning, _Zoloto_ ," Galina greeted him. With difficulty, she pushed herself up into a sitting position with her back against the headboard. Lifting Maxim, she settled him to her right as Yuri leaned his head against her shoulder from the other side.

"Mamochka, can I play outside?" Yuri asked, peering out the venetian blinds from which the tempting sunlight was already gleaming through.

"Well…" Galina hesitated. "I need to open up the store at ten so not for very long."

"You're too busy? You need to work?" asked Yuri sadly. Galina always felt crushed when her son asked her those questions, which he did almost daily. Clearly, they had been born out of her repeatedly telling him that she was busy or working. It wasn't a lie, she was very busy, and she did it while also minding her children, which meant that they both had rather remarkable abilities to play independently for long periods of time but also felt cheated of time with her. Galina wished that she could give her children more of her undivided attention but hoped it would at least benefit the boys to grow up seeing how hard their mother worked for them. She was doing her best.

"We'll go play for a little bit," Galina reassured him. "And then I promise we'll go outside again at lunch time." She always closed the shop for two hours at midday so that she could take the boys out for a little while. It wasn't fair to keep them cooped up inside all day while she worked, but they had grown up behind the counter of the family business and were used to it.

"Can I ride my bike?" Yuri asked eagerly.

"Yes," his mother replied, just as Maxim began ushering out a chorus of "bike, bike" excitedly. "We'll go for a ride around the block before we open," she promised him. "But we don't have a lot of time, so let's go hurry and eat breakfast."

She withdrew her arms from around her sons' shoulders and allowed them to scurry out of the room ahead of her. Sighing to herself, Galina gazed longingly at her pillow before standing up to follow. It was just then she felt the most precious of movements. Little flutters in her abdomen that brought her hands up around her stomach and a smile to her face.

"Hello, my little love," Galina whispered, rubbing her hand over the bump where her baby was. "Did you want to make sure that Mamochka didn't forget you were there? You must be wondering about those two crazy big brothers of yours. Not to worry...mama has lots of love for all three of you."

She chuckled happily to herself and with a hand still caressing her pregnant belly, Galina walked joyfully out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where her sons were opening the pantry and refrigerator while their father sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands waiting to be fed.

"What are you making?" Dmitri asked, looking up at his wife's arrival.

" _Kasha_?" Galina suggested. Still dressed in her nightgown she walked over to the stove and set out her favourite pan. "Boys, sit at the table," she ordered, walking over to the fridge and giving Yuri a stern look as he poked his head out to grin at her. In his hands were a carton of strawberries they had picked up from the market on Sunday after they had closed for the day.

"Share with your brother," Galina told him, in response to the non-verbal question. Yuri went over to his usual chair and, like usual, Maxim copied his brother. He climbed onto his own chair at the table and held out a hand for a strawberry eagerly. While the rest of the family sat in wait, Galina poured the milk into her saucer and turned the stove on to bring it to a boil. _Kasha_ was a typical breakfast for them. A Russian porridge that was quick to make and which Galina had grown up on. She bustled about her kitchen in more haste than was typical. She really wanted to get them out the door early enough to get in a full hour of playtime before the work day began.

"Careful, it's hot," Galina warned, as she set bowls down in front of Dmitri, Yuri, and Maxim. She handed each of them a spoon and then turned back to her fridge so that she could pour both of her sons a cup of juice.

"Will you get me some too?" Dmitri asked, before spooning up some of the _Kasha_ into his mouth.

"You're capable of pouring yourself a glass," Galina replied saucily, but she nonetheless poured her husband a drink and then handed it to him respectfully.

While her family dug into the breakfast she had made them, Galina walked off into their bedroom which was just outside of the kitchen. She left the door open so she could hear what was going on still and stared helplessly at her small rack of clothing. Dressing in the morning had become a game of what still fit and considering her limited wardrobe, the answer was not very much. She wasn't even very far along in her pregnancy, but her abdomen had begun swelling before she had even gotten a positive pregnancy test. She was going to be huge this time. She supposed it was what happened when you had three babies close together.

"Have you been outside yet?" Galina called to her husband, as she slipped her nightgown up over her head. Her hands reached up to caress her breasts, which were sore and had gone up a full cup size already. None of her bras fit and her back was always aching. She'd picked up a second-hand bra a few weeks ago in a consignment shop when she had been shopping for shorts and t-shirts for the boys and had to wear it every single day.

"No," Dmitri called back, in answer to her question.

"Oh," Galina replied flatly. "I was just wondering about the weather today."

"Boiling hot," Dmitri replied dramatically. "I don't think living in hell would be any worse than what today is going to be like." Draining the last morsels from his bowl, Dmitri left his dishes where they were and went over to his wife in the bedroom. Galina had pulled on a lightweight cotton green sundress with cap sleeves. It was maternity and her mother had bought it for her as a gift before they'd left Russia, right after they'd found out that Galina was expecting Yuri. The fabric was thinning in some spots and the style was not typical of what one normally saw on the streets of New York, but it had been a favourite wear during all three of her pregnancies. It felt like Russia and she thought of her mother every time she slipped it on.

"I may as well be one of Satan's slaves shovelling coal in an inferno," Dmitri complained, as he sat down on the bed and stared at his wife. "Hauling crates in this heat all day...I'm not sure I can even do it."

"Well, be sure to drink plenty of water," Galina said distractedly, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling when her back was turned away from her husband. She picked up her tube of mascara and her Chapstick which was all she really bothered to apply on a typical day. Then she walked out of the room without giving Dmitri a backwards glance.

"How's it going?" Galina asked her boys as she passed them. Her eyes widened at the spill under Maxim's chair but she refrained from commenting. There was a reason why she always mopped the kitchen floor after meals.

Galina went into the bathroom and set her makeup on the counter before opening the cabinet to retrieve her toothbrush. She applied her toothpaste and had just stuck it in her mouth when Dmitri came around the corner and stood behind her.

"I'm leaving," Dmitri informed her, staring at her face's reflection in the mirror. Galina nodded her understanding, while continuing to brush her teeth. "Do you need any help before I go?" he asked.

Nodding, Galina pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth and leaned over to spit into the sink. When she straightened up, she brushed the back of her hand against her mouth. "You could dress the boys," she suggested.

Dmitri frowned. "Both of them?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," Galina replied. "They both need to get dressed, and Maxim needs to be changed first." She turned on the faucet and stuck her toothbrush underneath the water flow.

"And what are you going to do?" Dmitri asked skeptically.

Galina raised her eyebrows. "I need to finish getting myself ready and then do something about the mess of the kitchen."

"Well, I'll just take care of the kitchen for you then," Dmitri said. "That will go faster. Alright?" At Galina's curt nod, he turned to sped out of the room. She tilted her head back to look out into the kitchen as Dmitri grabbed the bowls and cups from his sons and from his own seat and chucked them into the sink with a loud clang. Then, reaching for a wet rag he began to hastily wipe down the table top.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Galina grimaced as she returned her toothbrush to its holder and reached for her mascara. She didn't want to be ungrateful, but the way Dmitri cleaned her kitchen never ceased to annoy her. The counter surfaces would be wiped down dismissively and the floor would be swept, but she knew perfectly well that all the dishes would simply be piled in a heap in the sink. Dmitri wasn't helping her, he was actually creating more work in the step of needing to empty out the sink before she could begin the washing. And meanwhile, their two sons had clamoured down from their chairs and begun racing through the apartment with sticky hands held out in front of them. Galina would have preferred Dmitri not even bother with his half-hearted offer of help.

"I'll be late tonight," Dmitri said after a minute, tossing the rag into the sink atop the dirty dishes. Their sons' laughter was echoing in from the living room as Galina followed her husband over to the door with her arms folded.

"You told me," she reminded him, arching her back against the wall to relieve some of the pressure she was feeling.

"Oh," Dmitri said, pulling on a frayed pair of work boots. Galina's eyes glanced over them and her teeth clenched together. They were almost completely worn through and would soon need to be replaced. Another expense they couldn't exactly afford and Galina had been pinching pennies ever since she'd learned she was expecting again.

Dmitri finishing lacing up his boots and then took a couple steps over to her. He placed his hands on Galina's widened hips and looked down into her blue eyes. Her long red hair was still a bit frazzled looking as she hadn't yet had time to brush it. "Have a good day," he told her.

"Same to you," Galina replied, and she held her breath as her husband pressed his cool lips against hers. They were thin and quivery, while Galina's plump lips stayed firmly closed. Dmitri didn't seem to be troubled by anything amiss in his and his wife's goodbye, as he turned and disappeared out of the front door. Galina waited until he was gone to wipe his kiss off with her hand. She couldn't recall the last time she had enjoyed a kiss from him, but it hadn't been in years.

Dmitri had never given Galina butterflies and the prospect of forever with him had never particularly thrilled her, but to claim she didn't love her husband would be incorrect. It was complicated to explain, she did love him, but she also found almost everything about him to be infuriating, distasteful, and uninteresting. However, she'd made a choice to love him on the day that she'd accepted his proposal. Dmitri had been kind and decent during their courtship and though he'd never be the person of her dreams, she knew she could have done a lot worse.

Wearing her long sleeved white wedding dress with her face covered by her veil, Galina had walked down the aisle of her family's church almost five years ago with her eyes wide open. She'd known exactly what she was doing and nobody had made this decision for her. Galina had spoken her vows with the understanding that this wasn't the kind of marriage she had ever fantasized about growing up but she believed Dmitri was a good man and the promise of going to America had made it all feel worth it.

Five years ago, they had been conspirators and friends. Dmitri and Galina had been pioneers. The brave ones leaping into unchartered waters when all the former people of her old life had been afraid to change, afraid to question, and afraid to leave. Galina's parents had worried she was making a grave mistake and would be too far away for them to help her correct it. They'd warned her it was too risky to be turning your back on your whole life to sail off to a new country that might not be better than the home she was fleeing from, but Galina knew it would be a greater risk to stay. Whatever happened next, at least she would not be doomed to spend the rest of her life slaving away at her gruelling factory job that barely kept a roof over her head. She knew there had to be more out there, and though as a child, she might have dreamed about love and fantasized about passion, she had grown up and decided that there were much more important things that defined a life. Her feelings for Dmitri did not go much deeper than amicable companionship, but Galina was not prepared to spend her life searching for such things only to discover that they did not exist.

Things might have been okay if Dmitri didn't try and make more of their marriage than what it was. It had been a façade, Dmitri had said so himself when he'd proposed; but Galina should have known it was too good to hope that he would leave her to her own thing once the wedding vows had been said. Galina took care of him, as a good wife should; she kept a nice house, she gave him children, and she worked at least as hard as he did to financially support their family. It would never be enough for him, though. Dmitri had tried to make her fall in love with him once she was his wife, but he'd become more and more discouraged when his efforts went unreciprocated. Galina couldn't make herself be in love with him when it just wasn't there, and she knew Dmitri had never really forgiven her for that.

The tension between them had only intensified when their first son, Yuri, had been born, because it was upon his arrival that Dmitri got to see what Galina looked like when she loved somebody so completely. She had never looked at him, even remotely, the way she looked at their baby. It ashamed Dmitri to realize the jealousy the infant provoked in him, and Galina noticed it and never tried to hide her disgust. Feeling excluded and inferior, Dmitri never even bothered to try when their second, Maxim, was born, almost exactly two years later. Considering all this, Galina knew it would be a little difficult for anyone to comprehend why she had intentionally gotten pregnant a third time by this man. It wasn't that she expected her husband to be different. It was just that the hunger for another child to nurture had been stronger than her disdain for her marriage. Galina was meant to be a mother.

As if to confirm this, in the next instant her two bundles of energy had raced over to her by the door and wrapped themselves around each of her legs while they giggled badly. They didn't ask if Papa had already left because it was sadly the norm for him to just walk out of the house without saying goodbye to him.

"Come on, my two little _Solnyshki_ ," Galina smiled, as she reached her hands down to scratch the tops of their heads affectionately. "Let's get you dressed and then we can go outside to play."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to anyone who reviewed. It really inspires me to update. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

 _Dmitri's Russian Market_ had become a well-known and regularly patroned establishment in their neighbourhood since they had opened two years prior. It wasn't a business that was going to make them famous or pad their pockets with enough cash to keep them on easy street, but it was surviving and filled Galina with just as much pride as she got from mothering her children. As with everything else she cared about, Galina threw her heart and soul into making the market what it was and often worked late into the night, after everyone else in the family was sleeping, to keep things running smoothly.

Although the space was small and in need of upgrades, everything in it was pristine and organized to a fault. She imported several Russian products that other immigrants remembered fondly and were thrilled to see and stocked her shelves with items found in a traditional Russian grocer. Her main customer base were people just like her and Dmitri, who had set out for America in search of a better life but who also missed the comforts from home. Galina loved the chance to speak Russian with them and reminisce about the country they had all left but still loved.

A lot of other people, young and old wandered into the market by chance or curiosity and would often return again. Galina greeted everyone who entered her store personally and made them feel like a guest in her home. She'd share recipes with women who were shopping for ingredients they weren't exactly sure what to do with, offer samples of the sweets she prepared fresh every morning, and knew all her regulars by name. The place might be called after her husband, but it was Galina who had brought everything into fruition.

She had just taken the cash register out of the safe when she turned around and narrowed her eyes at her son's mischievousness. "I don't think so, baby boy," Galina playfully scolded. Setting the cash register on the counter, she scooped up Maxim from his perch on top of the crates that had been delivered that morning. "You still feel like climbing?" Galina sighed, shaking her head at her youngest son. "The park didn't tire you out?"

"I'm not here!" Maxim announced, firmly clenching his eyes shut as he went still in his mother's arms.

"Where did Maxie go?" Galina asked in mock fear, playing into the toddler's game of peek-a-boo. Maxim firmly believed he went invisible if he shut his eyes. By his own logic, if he couldn't see mama, well then mama couldn't see him. He often "disappeared" when it was time for bed or to get dressed, and Galina found it adorable every time.

"I'm right here!" Maxim exclaimed, opening his bright blue eyes and grinning cheekily at her.

"Oh, good," Galina breathed in relief, "I was so worried."

Balancing her son on her hip, she carried him behind the counter and into the back room that served as dual storage and a playroom for the boys.

It was child proof, littered with toys, with a couch for the boys to nap on and an old television for them to watch. It wasn't always the most stimulating, the long hours the boys had to entertain themselves while their mother worked. Sometimes Galina felt downright guilty about it, although she took them out to play every morning, noon, and night. She did the best she could and would often give the boys little baking projects to do at her side in the kitchen. Yuri liked the job of bringing everything on the shelves forward for display and Maxim loved splashing in the water when he tried to help with the dishes. They were good boys, although boisterous, and liked to say hello to the regular customers who came in and doted on them. They loved attention.

"Mama, can I watch Sesame Street?" Yuri asked, looking up from the fire truck he had been pushing around on the floor.

"Yes," Galina agreed. She set Maxim down on the sofa and smiled as Yuri scrambled up beside him. Their mother picked up the remote control she kept out of their reach on the back of the television.

"Ma, can we have something to eat?" Yuri asked hopefully.

"You just had breakfast," Galina replied absentmindedly, while flipping through channels to find the one they liked.

"But can we have a snack?" Yuri pressed.

"Will you still eat your lunch later?" Galina asked. She found the channel and then returned the remote to its safe place.

"Yes," both of her sons promised in unison. They nodded their heads imploringly.

"I'll bring you some _Vatrushka_ when I get a minute," Galina promised them both, to resounding cheer. It was a favourite in their household and one of her best sellers too. Many people came in daily for their coffee and something sweet. In her small corner of the neighbourhood, she was famous for them.

Hurrying back into the kitchen, Galina paused to pull back the oven door and peer in at the food still baking. She timed it well and pulled out a single tray before shutting the door hurriedly. Leaving it to cool, she reached for a knife so that she could slice into the round _Vatrushka_ that had been resting _._ She set two pieces aside for her boys, and then placed the rest into the display case on the countertop. The coffee was freshly brewed, her food was almost fully prepared, and the crates were stacked neatly out of the way until she got a spare moment to deal with them. Galina gave everything a final once over and then walked to the door to unlock it. She was open for business and another day had begun.

It was always a rush to get everything ready in time, but somehow Galina always managed to do it. She'd get flustered, impatient, and tired, but the moment her customers arrived she would maintain a calm disposition of a woman who had it together, and of a mother who always got it right. Her image was important to her and she cared deeply about what people thought of her, although she wished she didn't. Typically, engaging with her patrons was the only adult stimulation and conversation that Galina ever received. She had no friends that she socialized with in the evenings, she rarely even left the house without her boys in tow. Dmitri was hardly ever home to help watch them, and the boys didn't like staying with him anyways.

The bell above the door dinged, alerting her attention. "Good morning, Igor," Galina smiled at the familiar face. "Hello, Anna," she greeted the little girl who was clutching her father's hand. "That's a pretty dress."

"Hi, Mrs. Reznikov," Anna replied politely. "Can I have a treat?"

"If it's alright with Papa," Galina replied, sharing a small smile with the girl's father as she turned to pour his regular coffee. He took it in a Styrofoam cup because he drank it on the go. They lived across the street and the girl would be attending Kindergarten with Yuri in September. Two cream, one sugar. Galina had it measured to perfection.

"Can I, Papa?" Anna asked, tugging on her father's hand.

"Yes," Igor nodded, as he did nearly every morning. Galina passed his coffee across the counter and then pulled out the tray of sweets from her display so that Anna could see better.

"Which one would you like, honey?" Galina asked her. She nodded towards the oven. "Or...I have some apple piroschki that just came out of the oven. They're your favourite, right?"

"Yes, can I have one?" the little girl asked eagerly. "Please," she added, at a stern glance from her father. Her black braids swung excitedly as she tossed her head.

"Yes, you can," Galina replied. "But I'm going to put it in a bag so that it doesn't burn your fingers. It's still hot." She dished out the sweet for the little girl and a minute later the pair had paid and were on their way, soon to be replaced by another.

She was busy and entirely focused on her customers, which her sons knew to expect. They behaved well, sometimes needing called reminders to use their indoor voices. Bored of the television, Yuri had come into the kitchen to get the snack his mother had promised but forgotten to deliver. The two brothers ate them on the floor of their playroom, crumbs everywhere, and then got back up to play like it was business as usual.

Yuri busied himself building tall towers out of his blocks, and always was sure to give Maxim a few blocks of his own so he would feel like he was playing too. The boys crawled across the floor chasing their trucks, made pretend meals with the plastic food in their toy kitchen, and then Yuri took all the cushions off the couch and built them a fort. Their mother kept a close eye on them while she hurried around the shop pouring coffee, running the registrar, talking to people, and placing fresh trays in the oven when she began running low of certain items. They amused themselves until lunchtime, which was always the same as whatever special Galina had prepared for the store that day. As they began to grow restless, Galina put on a video to distract them.

"Ten more minutes," she assured them, handing them each a glass of milk. " _Behave_ yourselves...and then I'll take you to the splash pad in the park. Would you like that?" Her offer was met with approval and then Galina turned to go attend to the customer who had just walked through the front door.

" _Mamochka_ ," Galina said in surprise, as she came face to face with her mother-in-law. Dmitri's mother was an older woman who was taller than her daughter-in-law and wore her hair in a severe bun most of the time. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Mrs. Reznikov waved the question off. She sunk heavily down into a chair at the round table and sighed. "Do you have any coffee prepared?"

"Yes," Galina said tightly. "Do you want milk?"

"Just a dash," her mother-in-law replied. Galina gritted her teeth together as she went to lock the front door and put up the sign announcing that they were closed for two hours for lunch. Then she went to prepare the coffee.

"Thank you, darling," Mrs. Reznikov said appreciatively, when Galina set the cup before her. She looked her daughter-in-law over with a scrutinizing eye. "And how are you feeling?"

"Much better," Galina replied. Instinctively her hands reached up to rub at her pregnant belly through the apron that was marred by flour and some peach puree. She crawled her hands back until she tugged at the ties of her apron and then slipped it over her head.

"Good," Mrs. Reznikov nodded. She picked up her mug of coffee and took a generous sip. "Dmitri's been so exhausted trying to keep up with everything when you were sick. It's been so hard on him."

It's been hard on all of us," Galina replied stiffly. Pulling out the chair across from her mother-in-law she sat down for the first time in hours. "But it will be all worth it soon."

"Do you know what you're having yet?" Mrs. Reznikov asked, tapping her fingers against the rim of her cup.

"Not yet," Galina replied promptly.

Mrs. Reznikov pursed her lips. "You're carrying so low," she lamented, as though this were a negative thing.

"I always carry low," Galina replied, placing a hand on the bump she could feel subtle flutters from.

"And you only have sons, so far," Mrs. Reznikov pointed out with a sigh. She picked up her coffee mug and took another generous sip.

For the most part, she and Galina got along quite well. She was generally very soft spoken and kind, and she never told Galina how to raise her children. She didn't have much interest in them at all actually. "Children are children", she had once said. "I had three of them, I'm finished now." With an attitude like that, Galina had known from the start that her mother-in-law would not be a babushka whom she could lean on for support or babysitting when she needed some help. With no family of her own in this country, it would have been nice for her in-laws to take a more proactive role in their grandchildren's lives, but Galina had long ago made peace with the situation. Her in-laws were fine, so long as she didn't expect too much of them.

"Is Dmitri working today?" Mrs. Reznikov inquired of her son.

"Yes," Galina replied simply. She had made the mistake of confiding in her mother-in-law once before about the problems they were having in their marriage. A stupid thing to do, she now knew, but in all fairness, she had been asked. Some part of Galina had really wanted to hope that when her in-laws had said she was as good as a daughter to them, that they had actually meant it. They did in their own way, but it would always be conditional. Mr. and Mrs. Reznikov would treat her as a daughter, so long as she treated their son the way they believed a wife should. Dmitri was their child, and they automatically sided with him over her if they caught wind of any conflict. Nothing could ever be Dmitri's fault, in their eyes. It explained a lot about why Dmitri always seemed to have such a strong sense of entitlement. Galina understood that she would always be a second-class citizen in their family because she was not blood, but they were all the family she had now. She'd be terrified to lose them.

"He's working so hard, lately," Mama Reznikov said mournfully, "he was at our house for supper last night and he just seemed so tired. I think he's really stressed out. Have you noticed that he's stressed out lately?"

Galina could feel her mother-in-law's eyes burrowing into her own and rubbed her hands over her baby bump to calm herself. Galina hadn't known that Dmitri had run off to his mother's house for dinner. She wondered how frequent of an occurrence that was. If he hadn't been working, he could just as easily have come home to eat with his wife and sons, but Dmitri did what he wanted.

"Mama, can we go now?" Yuri asked, rushing into the front of the store with his little brother hot on his heels.

"Say hello to _Babushka_ first," Galina said sternly, frowning at the rudeness.

"Hi, _Baba,_ " Yuri said shyly. Maxim scurried around the table to his mother's side and then held his arms out so that he could sit on the minimal space still available on her lap.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Reznikov asked, watching Yuri begin to spin himself around in a circle.

"Just over to the splash pad in the park," Galina replied, as she settled Maxim onto her lap. "The boys can run through the sprinklers and cool off. It's so hot today."

"Can we go now, Mama?" Yuri pleaded.

"Soon," Galina frowned. "Why don't you get your sandals on? Do you want to come with us?" she asked, turning her attention back to her mother-in-law.

"No," Mrs. Reznikov shook her head. "I need to get home. I'm in a rush. Just thought I'd stop in."

"We'll see you soon," Galina said, although she knew they wouldn't. Her in-laws rarely visited and complained extensively to Dmitri that Galina didn't visit them more. They expected her to put forth all of the effort. She set Maxim back on his feet and then stood up to embrace the older woman briefly on her way out the door.

"Just, be nice to Dmitri," Her mother-in-law whispered as Galina unlocked the door to let her out. "He's been very stressed lately about work and three kids is going to be a lot for him to handle. You need to try and make him smile again the way that you used to."

"I don't think I was ever particularly skilled at that," Galina said honestly, her accent thick with controlled anger.

"Yes, you were," Mrs. Reznikov gave her what she appeared to think was an encouraging smile. "You looked so happy on your wedding day."

"I did?" Galina asked coldly, blinking in disbelief, but her anger prevented her from formulating a wittier response before the woman had already made her departure. Did _Mamochka_ seriously look at her and think she had time to worry about how to make Dmitri feel better? She knew he had it way easier than her. He avoided most responsibilities and expected his wife to bear the full load alone. Why wasn't anybody worrying about how often she smiled?

"Mama, I need help!" Maxim whined, carrying over his own pair of sandals that he had gone to fetch. Galina knelt down on the floor to help him on with his shoes and then plopped hats onto both of her sons' heads. Attempting to push her mother-in-law's irritating comments to the back of her mind, Galina locked the door behind her and then stepped out into the beautiful sunshine with her two little boys.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews. In answer to a question, I'm pretty sure Nicky will make an appearance and maybe Gloria, but they won't be a focus in this story. It would be more like Nicky somewhere with a nanny where Red and her boys happen to be. Just little interaction like that.**

By the time they reached the park, beads of sweat were glistening on Galina's forehead and she wished she'd had the sense to put a swimsuit on beneath her clothes before coming. She wouldn't have minded cooling off a bit too. When they were away from the traffic, she released her hold on the two boys and allowed them to run ahead of her on the plush grass that led to the splash pad. Their laugher was music to their mother's ears and she smiled as she watched them run side by side, Maxim's chubby little legs working twice as hard to keep up with his brother.

Hand over her belly and towels slung over her arm, Galina continued to replay her mother-in-law's words over in her head try as she might to absolve her anger. They were so irritating-all of them-but if she were to freeze them out the way she was often tempted to, then she wouldn't have anybody left. A mediocre family was better than none at all and Galina wasn't sure she would be able to make it in the world on her own. This worry seemed as absurd as she handled nearly everything for herself and the boys alone, but there was a sense of security that came from being married and a financial cushioning she didn't want to try and do without. It was easier to keep things the same.

Her eyes were trained on her little boys of lighting speed that had already reached the play space far ahead of herself. With their hats still on their head, they ran straight over to a large overhead sprinkler, took a few steps in and then ran back with shrieks of glee as the cold water hit their little bodies. Maxim ran through a puddle on the padded ground and began to jump up and down enthusiastically, landing on both feet with as much impact as he could. He didn't notice his older brother running off. Yuri running over to the jungle gym where a group of kids was congregated. He was always in search of friends.

The playground was busy with families with young children trying to stay cool on a hot day like this one. School was out for the summer so the place was even more hectic than it normally was in the middle of the week. Galina was able to recognize several familiar faces of those that frequented the park as much as she did. She offered up ever so brief "hellos" as she walked up to Maxim who was still splashing with glee. Her eyes were trained on Yuri who appeared to have befriended a pretty little girl who looked a year or two younger than himself. Galina watched as her son confidently ran through the sprays yelling "catch me" as the little girl ran persistently after him in a pink polka-dotted bikini.

Galina giggled as the two kids ran through a wall of water together, appearing completely drenched on the other side in the next instant. "Let's do that again!" the little girl cried, as they both darted back through again. Yuri closed his eyes tightly against the strong jets while holding his hands out in front of himself. Back and forth they went, zig-zagging, jumping, twirling, and having what appeared to be the time of their lives. At her side, Maxim was still splashing in the puddles. Every now and then he would walk towards a fountain with a hand extended and then pull it back as soon as the water hit his fingers.

"Mama, I need my towel!" Yuri announced as he ran breathlessly towards her. Galina unfolded the towel and held it out to him, as the little boy buried his face against the cloth to wipe away the droplets sliding down his cheeks. His little friend had run back with him but passed them to leap into the arms of a man who had been standing a few steps behind Galina.

"Daddy!" the little girl cried happily. "Did you watch me and my friend run through the water? I wasn't afraid!"

"Of course, you weren't, Zoey," her father chuckled. "Because you're my brave little girl, aren't you? I was watching!"

"Was mommy watching?" Zoey asked, craning her neck to apparently look around for her mother.

Galina watched with interest as the young father tightened his grip on the little girl and his eyes scanned every which way looking around at their surroundings. She liked observing other people in their comings and goings, seeing how different or similar they were to herself. Perhaps that made her a little nosy, but it was one of the things Galina found most interesting about living in such a busy place. "She just went to change Florence," Galina heard the man reply.

He set the little girl back down on her feet and then pushed her forward lightly with his hands. "Do you want to go play with your friend some more?" he smiled over at Yuri, who was standing at his mother's feet wrapped tightly in a towel.

"Yeah!" Zoey exclaimed excitedly. "You wanna go?" she asked Yuri, coming closer and beginning to jump on one foot in front of him eagerly.

"Let's go in the water!" Yuri cried back. Shrugging the towel off with urgency, he jetted quickly without a glance back at his mother. Galina rolled her eyes as she looked down at the towel thrown down at her feet. Little boys never spared much mind for how difficult it was for pregnant women to bend down and pick things up from the ground. Most grown men didn't stop to consider it either, at least from Galina's experience.

"It always amuses me just how easy it is for kids to make friends," Zoey 's father chuckled, as he bent down with ease to pick up Yuri's discarded towel. He folded it up neatly before he handed it back to Galina.

"Thank you," Galina smiled softly, holding the towel with two hands in front of her bulging middle. She looked down at Maxim who was still amusing himself with splashing in the puddles next to her. Then her eyes scanned the fountains until she spied Yuri laughing with Zoey.

"They're really getting along," Galina commented to the man as they stood side-by-side watching their two children play together. "My son starts kindergarten in September so it's good to know he'll be able to manage on the playground. He used to be a bit too timid for my liking but lately he's really been coming out of his shell."

She spoke candidly to this man, although she didn't know him. Its what parents tended to do with one another at places where they congregated for the sake of their children. While the kids ran off to play, parents stood on the sidelines supervising, comparing, and sharing ideas back and forth. It was typical fare, and one Galina typically enjoyed because parenting predominantly by herself was often lonely. She didn't receive any validation or encouragement from her husband about the sort of mother she was, so she got it from acquaintances and strangers when they commented on how sweet or well behaved her boys were.

"Zoey is never shy," her father shared. "Sometimes I wish she was a little bit because I worry she comes off a little too strong with more timid kids. She has a big personality."

"That's a good thing," Galina replied. "It will carry her far and she won't put up with some man's crap when she grows up."

"I don't want to imagine her growing up," her father laughed, "it's already happening too fast. We've been touring preschools for the fall and it's unbelievable. Zoey's new baby sister is already starting to sleep through the night and I actually miss the three am cuddles."

"You get up with the baby?" Galina blinked, the thought of a man sharing in such parental duties unfathomable to her.

"I'm her father," he replied. "And my wife takes care of her every single day while I go to work. We trade off on the weekends and she lets me sleep in as late as I want."

"You seem like such a nice family," Galina told him sincerely. She bumped the towel against her belly and looked down at it with pursed lips. "That's one thing I'm getting nervous about when number three gets her-the sleep deprivation. I already have two rambunctious boys and a full-time job I do from home with them underfoot. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to fit a baby into all of that. I can't afford to take time off from work."

"That's pretty incredible," the man replied. "To do all of that yourself. You shouldn't have to though-their father should help more."

"He _should_ ," Galina agreed dryly, rolling her eyes at the idea of asking Dmitri to stay up all night with a baby and then go to his job the next day. By night two, Galina knew perfectly well that Dmitri would either be calling in or fired for poor work performance, and she'd be worried about keeping a roof over their heads before he found another. It was simpler-and safer-to handle everything herself. In the end, they all depended on her.

"Maxim, do you want to go in the wading pool?" Galina asked her son, reaching down to grasp his hand. He shoved her hand away, asserting his independence to the annoyance of his mother. "Come on, honey," she beckoned, "it's more fun than splashing in puddles. This water will reach your knees!"

She gave Zoey 's father a small smile as she began to walk away with her son. The wading pool was right next to the sprinklers that Yuri was currently running through with Zoey. Galina could supervise them both. As Maxim took a tentative step in, he reached instinctively back for his mother's hand which he now desired. Galina kicked off her shoes and stepped barefoot into the pool with him. Her red polished toenails glistened up through the blue water as the sun shone down.

Keeping an eye on Yuri, she watched as he giggled from the sidelines with his new friend. He was pointing a hand up towards the overflowing flower pot that was about to dump down on any unsuspecting passer-by. Playing along, Zoey 's father pretended not to know what was happening as he walked beneath it just as the pot tipped-dumping a load of water down upon him.

"You guys tricked me!" He cried out in mock-outrage, as Yuri and Zoey jumped up and down and pointed at him, laughing hysterically. Even Galina couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight of a grown man in completely drenched shorts and a t-shirt, blinded by the water sticking to his glasses.

"You have to do it again!" Yuri told him excitedly.

"Again?" Zoey 's father echoed, wringing the water from his shirt. "Are you nuts?" He pulled his glasses off of his face and wiped them off before setting them back on the bridge of his bumpy nose. "I've got an idea! What if all three of us stand under it together?" he suggested with a wink.

"Okay," the kids both agreed, as they sprang forward to take their places. Galina watched on in amusement, as she helped Maxim splash in the pool. Her younger son took to water like a fish. He had lain down on his belly so that he was completely submerged and was trying to blow bubbles with his mouth.

They were both so happy in this moment, but Yuri in particular stood out to her. She knew he needed much more of this-way more than what Dmitri was willing to provide him, and it broke his mother's heart to see how quickly her son could latch onto a complete stranger in a park for fatherly affection. He needed a stronger male presence in his life and that was the one thing that Galina simply could never give him on her own.

The simple truth was that if Dmitri had enough interest in his sons to give them even an hour a day of focused and consistent attention, then Galina knew they would have worshiped him. It would have been so easy for Dmitri to be a hero in the eyes of their boys but he couldn't even put in the bare minimum focus that they needed. Dmitri would probably have preferred to light himself on fire before he joked around with his kids in a splash pad and allowed himself to get wet. Dmitri never would have gotten past the fact that he hated water. He wouldn't play along for the sake of his children and that was where he and his wife differed. Galina always tried to do what was best for the kids.

A few minutes later, Galina tugged a resistant Maxim out of the pool and then went to call after Yuri. She knew her interruption would be met with disappointment but they needed to head home if she were to have time to dry them off and change them before she opened for the afternoon. It was incredible to believe that Galina was only halfway through her day. There was still so much to do but all she really wanted was to curl up and take a much-needed nap. Yuri tried to argue with her when she announced it was time to go but a stern look and the sharp tone she used when she called his name again had him rethinking his decision to challenge her. He said a sad goodbye to his new friend and then walked slowly over to his mother who wrapped him in a towel and kissed the top of his head affectionately.

"I know you were having fun," she sympathized. "I wish we could stay longer too but I need to get back to work." Yuri buried his head against the side of her dress as they began walking back towards home. Maxim had gotten past his irritation at having his playtime cut short and was now literally stopping to smell every flower they passed that Galina had no choice but to scoop him up and carry him on her hip.

"I want walk! I want walk!" Maxim cried out in protest as he flailed himself backwards in his mother's arms as if desiring to be dropped on his head. Galina ignored his shrieking, as she struggled with the toddler and began the short walk home with Yuri's hand held in hers.

"Remind me next time to bring the stroller," she muttered under her breath, as they turned the corner onto their own road. It was one of the busier streets in the neighbourhood with a lot of foot traffic which made it a prime location for a business. The only housing was in the above store apartments which were primarily occupied by the shop owners themselves.

Yuri was slowing down as they moved. More than once he had asked his mother to carry him which of course would be an impossible feat when Galina already had one son in her arms and an aching back which was being aggravated by this pregnancy. They staggered down the block together, nobody saying much until Yuri caught sight of something that made him visibly brighten instantly forget his tired legs.

"Look, Mama! Kittens!" Yuri exclaimed excitedly. He pointed his finger towards a man that was holding a white little fuzzball on his lap while three more kittens poked their heads out of the cardboard box he had set at his feet. Maxim arched his back to see what his brother had noticed.

"Meow! Meow!" He shrieked happily. "Mama, it's Meows!"

"Yes," Galina agreed, smiling in spite of herself. "Do you want to look at them? Just for a minute…" She set Maxim on his feet and then allowed the two boys to walk over to the box of kittens.

"Do you want to hold one?" the man asked kindly. Yuri nodded and in a fraction of an instant a kitten with a patchwork coat was placed in his hands. Maxim reached out to gently stroke the top of the kitten's head and Galina immediately saw what she had just done, or perhaps what she had intended all along. She wasn't sure.

"I'm in trouble now, aren't I?" she said lightly. Rolling her eyes at her own impulsiveness, Galina crouched down to examine the kitten a little closer with her boys.

"Mama, I would like to have a kitten," Yuri told her politely. Flashing his mother a toothy smile he held the kitten up to have face. "This kitten," he specified.

"Oh, I'm sure you would," Galina replied, eyeing the adorable fluff ball warily. "But Papa doesn't like cats or want animals in the house." It was a dispute they had had over a year ago when Galina had wanted to get the boys a dog of their very own and Dmitri had concocted a story about some bullshit allergies that had sprung up out of nowhere.

"Mama, Mama, I waaaant Meow!" Maxim pleaded in a sing-song tone he always adopted when wanting to be his most adorable.

"They're free to a good home, Ma'am," the man said enticingly.

"They're free except for the food, and the cat litter, and the veterinarian bills," Galina listed off with a sigh. She glanced at the white kitten in the man's arms and the two tabbies in the box that were batting at one another now with their paws. Of all of them she found the one Yuri was currently holding to be the cutest. She liked cats and she was pretty sick and tired of Dmitri dictating all of the rules in their household and just expecting her to obey them.

"Is this one a boy or a girl?" she asked with a begrudging smile, reaching out to scratch the calico kitten under the chin.

"A girl," the man replied and Galina smiled. She'd always wanted to give her children a pet and even though right now probably wasn't the most ideal time to adopt an animal, a part of her really wanted to. It would be embarrassing to admit to anyone how rebellious the thought of making this decision on her own would seem. She had once been active in resistance, desiring to be a revolutionary that would play a role in changing Russia and changing the world. But when that hadn't worked out she'd gotten married and ever since had settled into being a dutiful wife and a devoted mother, living the traditional existence she had always sworn she never would.

"If I say yes, do you boys promise to help take care of her?" Galina asked them quietly. She watched as both boys' eyes lit up exponentially and twin smiles spread across their faces. Yuri promised and his brother echoed him, not fully understanding anything except that their mother seemed to be on the verge of giving in. She didn't spoil them often and a kitten was probably the most amazing thing that either little boy could fathom at this time.

"I guess we'll take her," Galina said to the man with a smile. She got up from the ground with difficulty and ordered Yuri sternly to hold the kitten tightly as they left. It was time to go home. Galina was going to have to rush to open in time now but it would all be worth it. They'd go out to buy all the kitten supplies after supper and until then, she was sure she could find something to keep their new pet content. Hopefully Dmitri would maintain his custom of not getting home until after dark and wouldn't discover the new addition to their family until she got the children tucked into bed.

XXX

It was nearing eleven o'clock at night when Galina finally heard the sound of the key in the door and then a creek as it opened. Clicking her tongue, she didn't bother to put down her book. She had been reading quietly by herself ever since the boys had fallen asleep. Lying with her feet up on the sofa and the kitten curled up on her lap had been as relaxing an end to the day as she could imagine. Galina listened from the living room as her husband kicked his shoes off, set his lunch box down, and then went into the kitchen to reheat the dinner Galina prepared that evening without bothering to speak to her first. Galina focused her attention back on the book she was reading as the kitten continued its mesmeric purring.

"What the hell is that?" Dmitri demanded, when he finally came into the living room. He was holding the warmed-up plate of food she had set aside for him and carrying a glass of milk in the other hand. Starting down at the kitten with a mixture of disgust and horror on his face, Dmitri sat down in the chair across from her.

"A cat," Galina replied saucily. She marked her page in her book and then stretched her arm out to place it on the coffee table. "A man was giving away kittens on our walk home from the park this afternoon and she caught my eye. We named her _Myshka_."

Dmitri shook his head quickly with a cold stone expression on his face. "I don't want a cat in the house," he told her tightly. "Do you know how much they stink?"

"She doesn't smell," Galina replied calmly. "And I'll keep all her stuff clean so it won't smell either. Do you really think I'd let things get out of hand like that?"

"You realize you're not supposed to be touching cat litter when you're pregnant?" Dmitri demanded. "Something about birth defects or whatever and I sure as hell am not going to be caring for that thing for you."

"I never expected you to," Galina sighed, watching as Dmitri put a large fork full of food in his mouth. "I'll wear gloves or Yuri will handle it. This will be a good lesson in responsibility for them. They deserve to have a pet-you and I both had animals when we were children."

"I moved away from my parents so that I wouldn't have to live with animals anymore," Dmitri replied, once he had swallowed. "How dare you do this without even asking me?"

"Because I knew you'd say no," Galina replied silkily.

"Then the answer is no," Dmitri said, glaring at her over the rim of his glass as he took a sip of milk. "That doesn't mean go around behind my back doing whatever the hell you want. That's not how it's going to work in this house."

"You don't get to make all the decisions, Dmitri," Galina replied. She gently scooped the kitten up into her hands and then struggled to get herself back up into a sitting position.

"You're barely home anyway," she reminded him, as she set her feet on the ground. "What difference does it make to you? You already said it yourself that you're not going to help take care of it. If it's something that makes me and the boys a little happy, don't you think you could give in a little bit?"

"You think I'm not home enough now?" Dmitri scoffed. "Just you f*cking wait, woman. This isn't my home. Everything in it is your decision and done your way."

"Because I'm the one who runs this place," Galina retorted. "If you want to have more input maybe you should contribute more."

"I don't need to be spoken to this way by my wife," Dmitri said shortly. "My mother is right about you. You don't have any respect for me as the head of this family. That's why everything between us is going to hell and why the kids act the way they do."

"There is nothing wrong with the kids!" Galina said angrily. "They're normal boys and everyone who sees them comments on how sweet they are."

"Well, maybe with you," Dmitri said shortly. "But they don't even listen to me because you have them convinced that they don't have to. You know why? Because they are picking up on your attitude towards me."

"Well, what?" Galina rolled her eyes. "Do you expect me to pretend to be madly in love with you when I'm not? I never speak badly of you to them. I don't know what more you want from me."

"How about more sex?" Dmitri replied instantly. He took another bite of food while staring across the room at her with a look of deep displeasure. It was hard to believe that someone could have such hatred for you in their eyes while wondering why you didn't want to sleep with them more.

"I don't want to have sex," Galina said truthfully. "I'm enormous, I don't feel well, I'm tired all the time-" she began to list off excuses that weren't exactly the main reason. The real cause of her disinterest was a complete lack of desire to be intimate with him. She only ever did it to shut him up when it had been awhile and he was beginning to complain a little too loudly, or when she wanted to get pregnant.

"I'm getting pretty sick of the excuses, Galina!" Dmitri interrupted her. "I wouldn't have agreed to have another baby with you if I'd known this was how you were going to behave. Although, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore."

"We had sex last night at your insistence," Galina reminded him. "So, what exactly are you complaining about for?"

"Because of how long you're going to try to have me wait until the next time," Dmitri replied shortly. "I shouldn't have to beg you."

"And I shouldn't have to let you f*ck me when I'm not in the mood," Galina said back sharply and her husband actually seemed to recoil from her in revulsion.

"Don't use language like that in front of me," Dmitri scolded her coldly. "I am not _f*cking_ you. You are my wife and that is what you are expected to do. Do you want me to cheat on you like my father did to my mother? Because that's what's going to happen if you don't start shaping up."

"If you want to cheat on me then that's on your own conscience," Galina told him with complete indifference in her tone. If her husband thought he could make her feel jealous then he was sadly mistaken. "But do you know how often I fantasize about leaving you and then _don't_ act on it?"

"Do it!" Dmitri roared. "Please! Just get out of this house and stay away from me!"

"Believe me, I've considered it," Galina snapped. "But that's a little hard to do when my income depends on this place and I'm sitting here pregnant with our third child, while our two sons are asleep in the next room."

"Take them with you," Dmitri shrugged. "I don't care. At least I'd never have to see you again." He finished eating his dinner in cold silence while Galina sat quietly with a pounding heart. She knew leaving was probably the right thing to do, she didn't see how this marriage could ever become better, but she also wasn't willing to give up. It was hard enough trying to juggle everything with two incomes, she didn't know if she could do it all on her own and was nervous to try.

The bigger factor was also that while Dmitri might say he didn't want anything to do with the kids and that she could take them, Galina was terrified that if she actually ever had the nerve to file for divorce that he would do a 180 and start challenging her for custody. As the primary caregiver she probably would still win but Dmitri had family members and more stability that way which might overrule her all by herself. It wasn't a risk she was prepared to take, even though she wasn't happy and knew if she only had herself to think about that she would have been gone a long time ago. She didn't have that luxury though. She had three babies depending on her.

"I'm going to take a shower," Dmitri told her flatly. He left his cleared plate and empty glass on the coffee table and then went into the bathroom without another word. Galina sat very still for a few minutes on the edge of her seat as her heart continued to race and she began to feel the cramping in her stomach muscles that always seemed to be triggered by stress. Smoothing her hand over her belly in circular fashion, Galina set Myshka down on the cushion beside her and then got to her feet. She silently picked up her husband's discarded dishes and carried them into the kitchen to be deposited in the sink. She would wash them tomorrow morning with the breakfast plates.

Galina didn't want to do what she was going to do next but didn't feel as though there was much choice. No matter how she felt, Galina knew that nothing good would come from expressing herself as candidly as she just had and it would need to be remedied before she could go to bed. She was doing it for Yuri and for Maxim, and for the little baby carried beneath her heart.

"Dmitri," she called quietly. Her tone was flat and emotionless as she walked into the bathroom and then pulled back the shower curtains just enough to see him.

"What?" he asked, as he worked the shampoo into a lather on top of his balding head.

"I didn't mean what I said," she lied quietly. "I'm just feeling kind of out of my mind with everything these days. I guess it's the hormones."

"Oh?" Dmitri murmured, as he tilted his head back to rinse the shampoo from his hair. Galina hated herself right now. For grovelling, for telling her husband what he wanted to hear at the expense of her own self-respect. But she was doing it for the sake of her family, because she believed her kids were better off with them together, rather than if they separated and she only got to spend half the time with them. Dmitri wasn't capable of taking care of them but that wouldn't mean he wouldn't fight for joint custody and then hoist them off on his mother out of spite. Still, Galina felt like punching herself in the face as she listened to herself speak. She couldn't believe such pitiful words had just come out of her own mouth.

"I don't want us to divorce," she told him softly. "I want us to be a family and get past this. It wasn't always this bad. Maybe we can make things better again."

"If you promise to be good," Dmitri told her smoothly, knowing at once that he now had the upper hand. She was too afraid of him leaving her which was ironic because she had been most hesitant to marry him in the first place. Becoming a mother had changed her though, in most ways for the worse in his opinion. However, the birth of their first child had exposed a vulnerable side of his wife that made her softer and needier than she had probably ever imagined herself becoming.

"You can keep the cat," he told her, looking into her clear blue eyes and deciding to be generous. He knew she wouldn't get rid of it anyway, no matter what he said, but at least by permitting it he was able to reclaim a sense of control over the situation.

"Okay," she replied stiffly.

"Do you want to come in the shower with me?" he offered, testing to see how far she would take this. He knew she didn't really want to but she nodded her head anyway and then slipped her nightgown off over her head. Accepting the hand he extended to her, Galina stepped into the shower taking care not to slip.

"I do love you," Dmitri told her, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "You just need to remember that you're not only a mother, you are also a wife and that role is just as important."

His wife didn't answer him but she didn't start to argue either. Stepping a bit closer to him, Galina watched as Dmitri lathered up her sponge with soap and then began to gently wash her body in what was apparently supposed to be a loving gesture. He grasped one of her hands in his and brought the sponge down the length of her arm. Then he alternated to the other hand. Gripping her chin, he tilted her head back and washed her neck, dragging the sponge lower, slowly washing her everywhere. He even kneeled on the floor of the tub, to wash her lower half. Galina gazed down at him, as he continued caressing her. She watched as he kissed his way from her ankle, all the way up her leg, to her hip. Was she supposed to feel something? Galina felt nothing.

"I love you," she told him softly, wondering to herself if she would ever find the fierce woman she had once thought herself to be. She felt like she had lost herself and the strength she had always believed herself capable of. The woman who had fought for change and sought the adventure of a lifetime by coming to America. Maybe someday she would find her again. But right now, it seemed unlikely.


	5. Chapter 5

When Galina woke up the next morning it took her several minutes of conscious awakeness before she felt ready to open her eyes. Curled up on her side with her arms hugging a pillow and another to support her back, she briefly wondered why she didn't sleep in her own bed more often. It was certainly more comfortable than squeezing herself onto Yuri's tiny mattress. However, as she rolled slowly onto her back, she felt the scratching of her husband's too-long toenails against her shin and was instantly reminded of her irritation about being in such close proximity to him.

"Move over," she commanded groggily, lazily bumping against her husband's leg with her foot. Dmitri didn't respond. He slept like a rock. No crying babies or a well angled kick from his wife were ever enough to waken him, although he complained he slept terribly like a broken record to her every morning.

Huffing her indignation, Galina pushed him harder until he shifted slightly away from her at long last. The motion actually jostled him awake, Dmitri opening his eyes wide to glare at her.

"What's your problem?" he snapped.

"You're on my side," Galina replied simply, leaning her head back to look at him. "If you expect me to share this bed with you then you can't be all sprawled across it like some sort of manticore."

Although she'd resolved before bed last night that she would be nicer and more affectionate to the man, there was only so much Galina Reznikov could stand. They'd shared a night of forced passion that she had known she had needed to partake in if she wanted to absolve some of the tension between them. Once sex was over, she had fallen asleep unwillingly in his arms. Dmitri hadn't allowed her to get up from the bed and leave him and Galina hadn't fought him on this. Even if she wished she were almost anywhere else, she knew this was where she needed to be right now. It was just the way it was. A consequence of the choices she had made.

She didn't want to be close to him. She didn't like how his hands felt on her skin or when he ran his fingers through her hair. She tried to hide her disdain when he kissed her as much as she could. There was a minimum threshold of affection that she knew she needed to reach if she didn't want the threat of divorce hanging over her head. Dmitri's needs were purely physical, she had learned. If she gave him unlimited access to her body it didn't seem to matter what she was thinking. However, right now her desire for personal space ruled out.

Dmitri had fallen back asleep, still lying in the center of the bed igniting a claustrophobic feeling in his wife. Galina knew better than to try and get him to move a second time. She gritted her teeth as she swung her legs down to the floor and then got up with difficulty. She was only five months pregnant and movement should not be this challenging already. Her baby bump was huge though, making her feel heavy and sluggish with her poor back never getting a moment's reprieve from the aches and pains.

It was going to be a good day today though, she remembered with a smile. Her annoyance absolved as she rested her hand against her belly where the baby was kicking ferociously. Waddling into the kitchen with a pregnancy gait that shouldn't have arrived for at least another month or so, Galina set the coffee maker and then went into the living room in search of her little kitten.

She'd been concerned about her staying in a room by herself on her first night, but Myshka had been curled up so contentedly on a decorative pillow when she'd checked on her that Galina hadn't had the heart to move her. Especially since it went without saying that Dmitri would have objected to the animal in their bed. Clicking her tongue, Galina stroked a gentle finger over the kitten's head rousing her awake.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Galina crooned. Scooping the kitten up into her arms she carried her back into the kitchen. The tiny little fluff ball meowed as Galina prepared her food in the little serving dish that she and the boys had bought after work yesterday evening, along with all the other cat supplies.

"There you are," Galina told her, as she set the bowl down on the floor and watched as Myshka dug in. The kitten seemed to have a voracious appetite. She had eagerly eaten up as many kibble treats as Yuri and Maxim had fed her last night, before Galina had told them she'd get sick if she had anymore.

Smiling, Galina turned around to pour herself a cup of coffee, adding just a dash of milk the way that she liked it. She sat down at the table and relished in the tranquil silence of morning. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she had woken up even earlier than was necessary. It was refreshing to drink her coffee in peace without getting up continuously to appease her children's near constant demands. Besides, once she'd remembered what day it was, Galina knew she was far too excited to even attempt falling back asleep.

Her baby was still wriggling and kicking inside of her. Galina watched her abdomen move in waves as the baby bulged up on one side and then the other. All three of them had been active and if this one followed the precedent, it seemed he or she was shaping up to be just as busy as Yuri and Maxim.

"At least you'll have no problem keeping up with your big brothers," Galina whispered, pressing her hand teasingly against her belly to see if she could get a reaction. She was delighted when baby kicked back in the same spot she had just pressed on. It was a game she had played with all her unborn babies once she could feel the kicks. They communicated back and forth this way. Theirs was a relationship that nobody else could replicate or experience. Right now, this baby was only hers.

"Mama gets to find out if you're a boy or a girl today," Galina said softly. She took a large sip of coffee and then smoothed her hand over her belly. "Not that it matters...Mama doesn't care either way. But once I find out I can go buy you some outfits. I mean, let's face it, you're mainly going to be wearing your brothers' hand-me-downs either way, but I'm going to get you a few special things that are just for you."

She got a few rhythmic kicks in reply, which never ceased to delight her, and then she heard Dmitri's alarm clock ringing in the bedroom and knew she needed to get up and begin making breakfast. He always took too long to turn the darn alarm clock off and by the time he did the noise had echoed through the quiet apartment and movement could be heard in the boys' bedroom. Galina took a final gulp from her coffee mug, just as the two boys shuffled into the kitchen and Dmitri wasn't too far behind them. The kitten had finished her food and ears bristled at the sudden noise from new arrivals, took flight out of the room in search of a hiding spot.

"Good morning," Galina smiled at her sons. She stood up to go rinse her coffee mug out in the sink and then set it to the side on the countertop. "Do you want eggs for breakfast?"

"I want eggs!" Maxim said excitedly. He clamoured up onto his own chair eagerly in wait.

"I don't want eggs," Yuri told his mother, wrinkling his nose in displeasure.

"No?" Galina replied. "How about just some toast with jam then? It's something simple this morning because I need to get ready to go out."

"Where are you going?" Dmitri frowned. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot she had already brewed and then sat down at the table across from Maxim.

"My ultrasound," Galina replied flatly, rolling her eyes as she turned her back to get the carton of eggs out of the fridge. "It's at ten this morning."

"Why don't you ever tell me these things?" Dmitri complained.

"Uhh, because I did," Galina replied. "Back when the appointment was first scheduled and a few days ago when they phoned to remind me. I need you to watch the boys."

"I have work," Dmitri reminded her. "I can't just take off like that. Ganya won't like it."

"I gave you plenty of notice," Galina said heavily, paying no attention to the mention of her husband's mysterious boss. Her teeth were clenching together as she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and began cracking the eggs into it with a fury building in her shaking hands.

Dmitri took a long gulp of coffee from his mug before answering. "Wait a minute," he said, setting it down on the table. "Is this the one where we find out if it's a girl or not?"

"Yes," Galina said slowly. Cracking the final egg into the bowl, she pulled out the garbage bin she stored under the sink and tossed all the shells into it.

"Well, now I know you didn't tell me because I wanted to go to that one," Dmitri complained.

"Well, you can't. They don't allow anyone in anymore," Galina lied. They might have made this baby together but Galina was hell-bent on not having to share this moment with him. Dmitri wasn't ever available to hold her hair back when she was sick, to come to the doctor's appointments with her, or help her through labour with their other two. She didn't think he deserved to experience this moment and he hadn't bothered with Yuri or Maxim so his sudden interest annoyed her. He still was complaining about having to watch the two they already had for a couple of hours.

"I'll call Mamochka," Dmitri told her. "See if she'll take them while you're gone because I can't miss work."

"I thought you were just about to miss work so that you could attend the ultrasound," Galina replied dryly. She set a pan on the stove and then poured the scrambled eggs into it.

"Well, that would be different," Dmitri answered. Galina shook her head in irritation as she went to pour the boys both some juice. They'd been sitting rather docile in their chairs while their parents spoke, aiming kicks at one another beneath the table while trying not to laugh so their father wouldn't get upset.

"I'll phone Mamochka," Dmitri offered, as though he were doing Galina a huge favour and not just covering up for his own irresponsibility. "You should make some bacon to go with the eggs and toast, yes?" he suggested, as he scratched her back on his way out of the room.

XXX

As frustrating as the morning had begun, Galina had rather enjoyed herself once she had kissed her sons goodbye and headed out for some rare time alone. Mrs. Reznikov had agreed to watch her grandchildren in exchange for Dmitri coming to their apartment after work to help his father with the shoddy plumbing their landlord was apparently refusing to fix. Galina had needed to pack Yuri and Maxim a bag and deliver them to her in-laws' doorstep and after that it had been a rush to make it to her ultrasound appointment across town in time. In exchange for her troubles, she had told her mother-in-law about much needed errands she needed to complete afterwards just so she could browse through shops for baby sales and treat herself to a lunch out at one of her favourite bistros. She rarely was able to indulge herself like this, but having childcare and closing up the store for a day was a big deal. She felt like she was on vacation.

She was in a very good mood as she walked down the sidewalk towards Dmitri's parent's apartment building. She was wearing a floral cotton dress and her hair pulled up in a ponytail made her look youthful and fresh. Despite the heat, Galina had gotten off of the bus several stops early just to burn off some energy and enjoy a walk. She was far too excited to sit still at the moment.

The baby wasn't moving. He probably had been lulled to sleep by his mother's walking after putting on quite the performance for her when he had been on camera. Galina had been able to see him very clearly on the ultrasound this morning-him-her youngest son.

She hadn't really cared what she was having. When everyone else was wishing vocally for them to finally have a girl, she had enjoyed thinking of the joys mothering a daughter would bring. She'd have loved teaching her everything she knew, but even more, to be better than she was and become more. She'd have loved signing her up for ballet and the experiences she had never been able to have growing up in a poor family in Russia.

However, when the technician had asked if she wanted to have the gender revealed, Galina had let go of the breath she'd been holding and fallen even more hopelessly in love with her third and final son. He was exactly who he was meant to be, kicking so energetically in his mother's womb and on the screen in such an adorable way that it had brought tears of joy to her eyes. _Vasily_. That was what she wanted to name her baby.

Filled with love and feeling completely content with the way things currently were, Galina reached the door leading up to Dmitri's parents' apartment. She rang the bell and when she was buzzed up, hastened her steps feeling only slightly breathless as she made her way upstairs. They lived in an older building just a few blocks away from their son's home, although it might as well have been in a different state for how often Galina saw them. She didn't like visiting them and wasn't very comfortable with having her sons spend the day there either. She was still irritated with her husband for refusing to watch them as originally planned. She didn't ask that of him often after all.

"Hello," Galina called softly, as she opened the door and let herself into the apartment. The layout of the space was so that you entered through the kitchen and then crossed through the hallway of bedrooms to get to the living room on the other side of the apartment.

She could hear some muffled Russian in the background but the kitchen was completely vacant except for that of Dmitri's younger sister, who was seated at the kitchen table while filing her nails with a scowl on her face as she glared at the new arrival. Galina's lip curled as she met the other girl's stare with a cold look of hatred all her own.

Walking confidently over to the stove, Galina turned down the burner on the simmering soup that had been in danger of overboiling. She could feel her opponent's eyes on her back still, desiring to intimidate her in a way that she no longer could. Malvina had been a taunting bully to her sister-in-law ever since they had been schoolgirls together back in Russia, and Dmitri's courtship and proposal had only escalated the situation.

The circumstances had consumed and distressed Galina for the longest time. However, now she only had to look at the pathetic woman in the room with her and want to shake her former self for ever letting a person like that make her feel bad about herself.

"Oh, you're here," Mrs. Reznikov commented in Russian, hurrying into the room with a false smile spread on her face as her eyes dashed nervously between her daughter and daughter-in-law. "I thought I heard the door."

"Yes," Galina said tightly, turning around to flash her mother-in-law a small smile. "The soup was starting to boil over so I brought it down to a simmer. It looks nearly done to me."

"Almost," Mrs. Reznikov reckoned, leaning over Galina's shoulder to squint down at the soup she had prepared. "I must have forgotten to turn the stove down. Those children of yours certainly kept my hands full today."

"Is that why you only bothered to make a soup to eat?" Malvina called out to her mother. "You could have at least got stuff to make sandwiches when you went across the street to get those kids whatever you were feeling like spending money on."

"There's fresh bread in the cupboard," Mrs. Reznikov told her daughter softly. "And I've made Dmitri's favourite dressing to have _Pastrami_ with the soup. That will be enough."

"How are my boys?" Galina asked her mother-in-law in Russian. She picked the ladle up off the counter and slowly stirred the soup in counter-clockwise fashion as she knew was needed. She was trying her hardest to ignore Malvina's presence.

"They're fine," Mrs. Reznikov replied, "I went down to the store to buy them a video because Dmitri and Papa need quiet while they work. They're hard to keep calm, you know? Maxim kept trying to climb up the back of the sofa and I thought he was going to break his neck!"

"They're active children," Galina intoned dully, just as a sharp tongue cursed through the apartment and there was a sound of a mental clanging on the wood floor as something was dropped.

Galina raised her eyebrows and nodded in the direction of the hallway. "How's the plumbing job coming?" She asked.

"Don't ask," Mrs. Reznikov shook her head in exhaustion. "I hope they finish tonight. I'd really like to take a shower."

"They better f*cking finish soon," Malvina spoke up in her gravelly Russian accent. She dropped her nail filer onto the table and then got up to her feet. She reached her hands up to stroke through her hair, which was bleached almost entirely snow white except for the brassy blonde roots growing back in.

Walking over to her mother she nudged her away from the fridge with her hip. "Otherwise, we're going to have to stay at a hotel tonight because we can't go without plumbing."

"Tell that to my wallet," her mother replied with a tired chuckle. "I don't think that's an option."

"Well, if you're not going to go tell that c*cksucking landlord to get his ass up here to fix up his sh*tty apartment building then you don't really have another option," Malvina told her, as she leaned into the fridge and then re-emerged with a can of soda. She popped the tab up and then took a long gulp from the can while Galina kept stirring the soup with her back to them. Her eyes were wide in amazement as she listened to the exchange, though she didn't know why after all these years she was still surprised by the rudeness. She just knew she would wring one of her sons up by their ankles if they ever dared to speak to her the way Malvina spoke to her mother. It astonished Galina that her mother-in-law even took this mistreatment from her grown-up daughter. She knew she would have been thrown out of this family long ago if she had ever dared to behave in a similar way. They criticized her for far less.

"You know that Papa and Dmitri are probably making the problem worse anyway, don't you?" Malvina asked her mother. "They don't know what the f*ck they're doing. There's like two monkeys with a single wrench in there," she laughed at her own joke.

"They're trying," Mrs. Reznikov said quietly. "And Papa's in a mood so don't push him tonight, Mal."

"He wouldn't be this irritable if those kids hadn't been annoying everyone around here today," Malvina said, with a smirk at Galina's back. "You didn't tell her about the grape juice stain on the rug yet, Mamochka. If it doesn't completely come out _somebody_ better be prepared to pay for it to get dry cleaned."

"It's just a little stain," Mrs. Reznikov whispered helplessly. "A little club soda will do the trick-I just haven't had a chance yet. I'm so tired."

Feeling her anger surged, Galina dropped the ladle into the pot of soup with a splash and backed away from the stove. "I'm surprised you've allowed them to be in the living room unattended if they're really as unbearable as all that," she said scornfully to her mother-in-law, crossing her arms across her front so they rested on her round belly.

"Galina," her mother-in-law rolled her name out on her tongue in a pleading tone. She'd spoken to her countless times in the past, insisting she pardon Malvina's attitude and understand that she had issues they needed to be patient about. In actuality, they were all still in denial about their daughter being a brat. In Galina's opinion, if at the age of twenty-seven Malvina was still refusing to go out to work or do anything to support herself or contribute to the family, then it wasn't an issue about having a lot of growing up still to do. She was just a lazy and narcissistic person. It was hard to believe that the two women were the same age.

"Where's your club soda?" Galina asked her mother-in-law in a clipped tone. "I can take care of the stain and then I'll take my boys home so they won't be a problem for you anymore."

"Don't worry about it," Mrs. Reznikov shook her head. "I wasn't even going to say anything about it."

"I think perhaps not allowing them to drink something staining like juice in the living room would prevent something like this happening," Galina added dryly. "But maybe that's just me."

"Your father-in-law gave them the juice," Mrs. Reznikov said distractedly. She clicked her tongue. "Don't be so defensive, _kotik_. You don't have to leave. You haven't even told me how the doctor visit went."

Galina opened her mouth to reply but before she could say anything, the sound of childish giggling erupted down the hall as Yuri and Maxim came barreling into the kitchen and wrapped their arms around their mother's legs.

"Mama!" Yuri exclaimed. "You didn't come find us."

"I was just about to," Galina assured him. "I just didn't want to interrupt your movie. What were you watching?"

"Oliver and Company," Yuri replied. "It's about a cat. A little orange kitten."

"It's Oliver!" Maxim chimed in. "Like our kitty."

"No, Max," Yuri shook his head. "Our kitty does not look like Oliver. She has a lot more colours than just orange."

"Well, that sounds like a good movie," Galina said, leaning down to kiss the tops of both of their heads. "Did you thank Baba for buying it for you?"

Maxim grinned mischievously, but Yuri was honest enough to admit that they hadn't. "Say thank you now then," their mother urged.

"Thank you," Yuri said shyly, burying his face against his mother's side.

Rolling her eyes, Malvina stepped around the group on her way out of the room. "Since they're out here now I'm going to assume I can put something else on the tv?" she called back to her mother.

"Yes," Mrs. Reznikov replied softly. "But we're going to eat now. Supper is ready."

"I'll eat later," Malvina replied. "When they're gone."

At those words, Galina mentally resolved to eat slowly and then perhaps suggest they play a couple rounds of cards to draw the night out even longer. Although she didn't enjoy being here, she knew at this challenging moment that she needed to extend her stay in order to assert herself in this family. She wouldn't let Malvina think she had intimidated her into leaving early.

"Boys sit at the table," Galina directed them towards two chairs on one side. "I'll go tell the men it's time," she offered, walking down the hall and into the bathroom where Dmitri was sitting on the closed toilet seat looking tired, while his father stood in the bathtub working on the faucets. He was still muttering under his breath and looked miserable, but this was typical when they got together to do a project.

"Time to eat," Galina announced, knocking lightly on the wood of the door.

"Okay," Mr. Reznikov said with a sigh. He shook his head in frustration at the hole in the wall where the shower head usually would be. "Well...this isn't getting fixed tonight."

"It will, Papa," Dmitri reassured him. "I'll stay and we'll get it done." He squinted up at his wife. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not in the slightest," Galina replied immediately, rolling her eyes. "I think I can manage on my own."

Missing the sarcasm in her tone, her father-in-law forced a smile and stepped out of the cramped bath tub. "Thanks, Galina," he said generously, patting her on the arm as he passed her on his way out into the hall. "And how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good," Galina replied. "I'm not so sick anymore and everything is going well with the baby."

"Yeah, how did the appointment go today?" Dmitri asked. He stood up with a sudden sense of urgency and gripped his wife's arm before she could follow his father down the hall. "What are we having?"

"A baby," Galina replied coyly, averting her eyes down to the floor as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She brought her free hand up to caress her belly with. "A healthy baby _boy_. Three for three."

She watched as Dmitri's hopeful face suddenly turned crestfallen. He let go of her arm and reached his hand up to run through the thinning hair on his head. "How sure are you?"

"Quite sure," Galina replied. The smile spread across her lips and she glanced up at him with a look of triumph sparkling in her blue eyes. There was a part of her that was just happy that Dmitri hadn't gotten what he wanted from her. He had wanted a daughter so desperately that his reaction to Maxim's gender had been offensive and led to near indifference of the baby for which Galina had never really forgiven him. She was grateful he wouldn't have a chance to favour a girl over the boys the way he obviously would have.

"I don't know why you had yourself so convinced it was going to be a daughter," she said, raising her eyebrows to look at him inquisitively.

"Just wishful thinking, I guess," Dmitri mumbled. "I would have liked to have had a girl you know. I bet she would have been smart and pretty like you."

"Or we'd have really lucked out and wound up with a replica of your sister," Galina said, and a look of revulsion flashed across her face. When Dmitri did not look encouraged, she pursed her lips and beckoned him to follow her back to the kitchen.

"Perhaps you should be thankful for our three precious boys instead of hoping for something that might not have been as great as it seemed," Galina suggested.

"Well, I guess we're never going to now, will we?" Dmitri said moodily.

"Never know what?" Mr. Reznikov asked curiously. He was seated at the head of the table and had just popped the tab open on a bottle of beer that his wife had brought him. The boys were sitting obediently in their chairs, poking the soft warm center of bread out of the slices they had been given and stuffing them in their mouths.

"What it's like to have a daughter," Dmitri told him with a sigh, sinking down into the vacant chair beside his father. He rested his elbow on the table and laid his head in his hand.

"Believe me, it's not always that great," Mr. Reznikov told him, shooting a look of annoyance down the hall to where his daughter was watching television with the volume up loudly. He squinted up at Galina. "So, it's a boy then for sure?"

"Yes," Galina nodded. Her hands wrapped protectively around her middle, she walked over to the stove so she could help serve the soup bowls that her mother-in-law was beginning to dish out.

"Well, you can always try again," Mrs. Reznikov said sympathetically, as she handed Galina a steaming bowl of soup with a side of Pastrami to serve to her father-in-law first. Galina set the dish down in front of him and then walked back to take the next serving for Dmitri.

"I'm not having anymore," Galina scoffed. "Where would I put it? Besides, I'm pretty sure my body couldn't take another one."

"Well, I'd just hate to see you miss out on having a daughter of your own," Mrs. Reznikov sympathized, brushing her arm against her daughter-in-law's.

"I don't feel like I'm missing out," Galina said sternly, feeling increasingly offended at the sympathy being extended to her rather than congratulations for another beautiful, strong, healthy baby boy. She took Dmitri's dish in her hand and carried it over to the table, setting it down with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary, as some soup sloshed out of the bowl.

"Just half a bowl for the boys," Galina instructed, when she returned back again to Dmitri's mother's side. _Vasily_ , if that was to be his name once she officially got her husband's approval, was kicking away merrily within. He had no idea that everyone around them was currently consumed with what he wasn't, rather than the little miracle that he was. Galina could feel her protective urges growing and her love for him swelling in her heart so much that it might burst. It didn't matter to her that she wasn't going to give birth to a daughter. Perhaps her sons would marry nice women, or bless her with granddaughters, or she'd get to love someone like a daughter in a different way someday. All she knew right now, was that Vasily was exactly who she wanted.

"Careful it's hot," she cautioned Yuri and Maxim, once she set their bowls down in front of them. "Have another piece of bread first," she suggested to them, handing them each another slice. "I'm going to get you boys ice cubes to put in your soup." She turned her back to retrieve the ice cube tray from the freezer and when she turned back around, Yuri was looking at her with a tender expression on his little face.

"Mama, I'm happy about a baby brother," he told her sweetly.

"You are?" Galina said with a smile. She leaned over to plop an ice cube into his bowl and then kissed top of his head lovingly.

"I'm happy too!" Maxim chimed in. He had picked up his spoon and was bumping it against his bowl creating quite a clang. Galina firmly pulled his hand away from the bowl to stop the noise and then gave him an ice cube to cool down the soup too. Maxim bumped his head against her chest as he leaned his head back to look up at her.

"I love baby brother!" he announced cheerily.

Galina chuckled at his adorableness. How could anybody not be overjoyed to add another one to this mix? "I love all three of my boys so much," she told him, leaning down to kiss Maxim's rosy lips and then both of his cherub cheeks. She was thrilled.


	6. Chapter 6

**A jump ahead to the end of her pregnancy in this chapter. I wish I could do that in real life. I'm currently 12 weeks with my number three, and wish I didn't have such a long wait ahead of me to get my baby into my arms. Hope you enjoy.**

The final weeks of pregnancy had been so uncomfortable making Galina grow more irritable and impatient with each passing day. This winter was harsh and the snow was heavy. Keeping the walkway and steps up to their home clear was a difficult job for a woman in her final trimester of pregnancy. She'd gotten so big that the large coat she had bought to get her through the season no longer zipped up and she was too practical to buy another one this late in the game. She bundled up in layer upon layer to compensate and took the two boys out to play nearly everyday anyway. Galina got in as many steps as she could in a day, hoping to persuade her little guy to come out a little earlier than his set due date, but to no avail.

As punctual as his brothers before him, Vasily was not to be persuaded to vacate his comfortable accommodations any sooner than he had to. Vasily waited until two hours past his due date to begin showing signs that today was going to be the day. Vasily. Galina had been calling him that ever since she had discovered she was expecting a boy, and though early on Dmitri had expressed mild dislike for the name, he had come around. His disappointment in not finally gaining his more desired daughter had caused him to detach even more greatly from this final pregnancy. Galina went through its duration quite alone and when labour finally commenced, she was alone for that too.

The cat, Myshka, seemed to know at once that something exciting was about to happen. She trotted around the apartment after her mistress, who was feeling on too much of an adrenaline high to go back to bed. Galina's early pains were mild. Just mild aching in her back and a squeezing sensation that caused her to stop what she was doing during the contraction, but weren't enough to really distress her. She paced through the house instead, keeping the lights off so as to not wake any of its sleeping occupants. Galina finished packing her hospital bag, made herself a cup of tea, and flicked on the television to pass some more time.

The contractions were about five minutes apart, but irregular, and since they weren't agonizing to her yet, Galina knew that she still had a long way to go. She'd laboured for forty-four hours with Yuri, and at twenty hours Maxim had seemed like a dream. Galina had been hoping this third birth would go much quicker. However, she lay on the couch with the tv playing all night. When the sun began to rise and the house began to come alive, the pains had begun to increase in frequency and time, but Galina still wasn't feeling any urgency to go to the hospital just yet. She prefered to stay home for as long as she could.

She felt the familiar tightening wrap around her core, squeezing and stretching as pain shot up her spine and down her thighs. Galina's hands balled into fists as she clenched her eyelids firmly shut and gritted her teeth to ride the contraction waves out. This one felt longer to her than the previous ones and beads of sweat glistened on her forehead as she waited for the pains to pass.

"Mama? You okay, Mama?" a little voice called out suddenly in the otherwise silent living room. During the heat of her contraction Galina hadn't heard anybody come in.

"Mhmm," Galina managed to get out, nodding her head quickly while keeping her eyes closed. The tightness began to relinquish its hold on her and she let out a deep breath. She opened her eyes to see Maxim standing only a few feet away from her. He was clutching his blankie in one hand and wearing a serious look of concern on his chubby little face.

"Mama's okay, darling," she assured him, forcing herself to smile. She reached her hand back to wipe off her sweaty brow. "I'm just getting ready to have your baby brother. My body's doing what it's supposed to do."

"We're having the baby today?" Yuri called out excitedly, skipping out of his bedroom and over to the couch where his mother currently lay curled up in the fetal position.

"I think so," Galina told him warmly. "Maybe the baby will be here by the time you get home from school."

"I still have to go to school?" Yuri exclaimed.

"Yes," Galina replied with a stern look. Her little boy had begun kindergarten in September and for the most part enjoyed it, though he sometimes got jealous that Maxim still stayed home with their mother all day when he could not.

Suddenly she felt the familiar tightening that warned of another iminent contraction, which was surprising as she'd just finished one. Galina dug her nails into the palms of her hands, as she became irritated by her attentive audience. Both boys had come closer to her side out of interest and concern. Yuri had begun patting his mother's leg comfortingly through her nightgown but the touch was irritating to her when she was in full throttles of another contraction. She clenched her teeth together to bear it and then pulled her leg away when the pains finally began to let up.

"Can you go make yourself and Maxim some breakfast, honey?" Galina asked him, struggling to catch her breath.

"What do I make?" Yuri asked sweetly.

"I don't know," Galina sighed impatiently. "Go find some yogurt and some berries in the fridge, alright?" She shooed them both away from her with her hand and then used it to brace herself up into a sitting position with difficulty.

She knew that things were beginning to quicken. She was starting to feel more frantic than excited. The last few contractions had been increasingly painful and were coming close together, one after another. Galina almost didn't want to stand up in case it prompted another one before she had recovered from the last. However, doing nothing seemed to trigger them just the same. S

She experienced what felt like an electric shock race through her body which made her gasp loudly and then actually slide off of the couch so that she could take this contraction on her knees this time on the floor. Her body bent over the coffee table and she pressed her forehead down against the wood finishing which felt blessidy cool. "Mmmmmmmmm," she whimpered, trying not to make too much noise that would frighten her children in the next room. She tried to press her lips together tightly, but in the effort she accidentally bit down on her tongue which brought tears to her eyes.

As soon as this contraction was through, Galina wasted no more time idying when she knew that she had to get going. "Dmitri!" she called anxiously, waddling into the bedroom hurriedly. Her husband was still lying in bed with the covers over his head. He had slept through all of Galina's quiet labouring in the night and hadn't even risen at the sounds the children were making in the kitchen now.

"Get up!" Galina snapped at him. "The baby is coming!"

"What?" Dmitri opened his eyes and looked up at his wife, who was standing in front of him in her faded nightgown. "Right now?"

"Well not this exact second, but yes, soon," Galina told him. "I need you to go downstairs and get me a taxi. Okay?" Without another word, she turned around and pulled her nightgown up over her head. She walked over to the closet and glanced questioningly in at the options available for her. It was cold outside and it had been snowing hard since yesterday. Galina grabbed a navy blue sweater of Dmitri's and then slipped on her heavy grey skirt. She didn't bother to put a bra on, but had to sit down on the bed to slip on her socks and boots.

Like a jolt, sitting down triggered a sharp twisting contraction that made her cry out. She managed to slip on her final boot before it peaked. She could feel her thighs throbbing, sense the baby pushing lower as her whole body seemed to shift more to the ground.

"You sure you don't want me to go with you this time?" Dmitri offered, as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers. "I will if you want me to…"

"No," Galina gasped, wincing as her entire body contorted in agony and she sprang up to her feet. "I don't want you to. DON'T TOUCH ME!" she cried, tears sliding down her cheeks as she leapt away from the arm that had attempted to wrap around her back. She needed space. She couldn't breathe in here and she couldn't go anywhere until this contraction stopped and no end seemed it sight. Until it finally eased up, after nearly two minutes.

"I'll get the taxi for you," Dmitri said, once Galina had stopped moaning and was standing in the center of the room trying to calm her breathing. "Don't try to walk outside yourself until I get back. The steps might be slippery." He hurried out of the room and out of the apartment.

Galina rested her hands on her lower back which was throbbing. She walked slowly out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where her boys were eating the yogurt and berries she had suggested to them. They looked worried.

"It hurts to have a baby," Galina told them honestly, concentrating on her breaths so she wouldn't panic. "But nothing is wrong. You don't have to be scared. I'm going to go have the baby and tonight after supper you guys can come meet him, alright?"

They nodded their heads at her, looking only slightly more at ease. "Papa is going to stay with you," she told them, kissing them both ever so briefly on the head. She could feel the warnings of another contraction spewing within her, so she hurried away from them and towards the door. Grabbing her coat she slipped her arms into it and then picked up her purse and the suitcase she had packed in the middle of the night. Although Dmitri had told her not to, she opened the door and stepped out onto the snow covered landing. The world was still quiet right now. Most people hadn't left for work yet. Galina's bare hands gripped around the medal rails, currently unaware of the freezing burn as she moaned through another contraction. She hadn't wanted her sons to listen if she had another one inside the apartment. They were getting worse and she couldn't stay quiet through them.

"Taxi is waiting," Dmitri called, jogging up the steps with his hand held out for her. Galina accepted it this time, leaning on him as he assisted her down the unshoveled stairs.

"Call your mother and ask her to meet me, will you?" Galina panted.

"I will," Dmitri nodded. "I wish I could go with you but I guess someone needs to take care of the kids."

"You wouldn't be much use to me anyway," Galina replied. Dmitri had been present in the hospital for Yuri's birth, but had spent nearly the entire time breathing into a paper bag out in the hallway while she pushed with the assistance of her medical team. For their next son's birth, Galina's mother-in-law had gone with her for support which was supposed to be the plan again this time-if she made it. Galina was realizing now that she had probably put off calling her a little too long. Her mother-in-law's prone to panicking had unnerved Galina during her last labour and she had wanted to endure it without interference this final time for as long as possible.

Dmitri opened the door and helped settle her inside with her suitcase at her feet. The driver didn't speak a word to her, although he watched her carefully in the rearview mirror as Dmitri lightly kissed her forehead and then shut the door. He needed to get back upstairs to be with Yuri and Maxim. It was a short ride to the hospital anyway, just a few minutes around the corner during which the cab had slid out on the slushy roads nearly twice. Galina sat through two excruciating contractions before they reached the hospital Emergency room doors and she realized in desperation that she had forgotten to call and tell them she was on her way. With nobody coming out to meet her and the driver not offering to move, Galina opened the door and climbed out of the cab alone.

Dmitri had already paid the man, so she didn't say a word as she slammed the door of his car closed and then staggered through the parking lot slush in her boots and open coat that was impossible to zip up. The waiting room was thankfully nearly empty at this time, Galina rummaged through her purse for her identification and hospital registration papers that she had already filled out.

"Okay, so why are you here?" the nurse asked boredly, not looking up at her.

"A baby is about to fall from between my legs if I don't sit down soon," Galina snapped, tucking a strand of damp red hair behind her ear.

"Do you need a wheelchair or are you okay to walk?" the nurse asked.

"I'll walk," Galina replied. "Can I go up now?"

"Go ahead," the nurse nodded. "I'll call and tell them that you're on your way."

It had probably been a mistake not to accept the wheelchair at this stage of the game, Galina reckoned. However, her eagerness to get away from the nurse had caused her to stubbornly refuse any offer of help. She had no idea how far dilated she was but just knew from experience that she was getting near the end. The baby had now descended so much that she felt like she was walking with him between her legs. Galina pushed the button for the elevator and then leaned her back up against the wall in relief as she waited. She suddenly felt quite alone and though she knew she was capable of handling this herself, as she had been forced to before, she began to sincerely hope that her mother-in-law would get there in time. She was beginning to regret waiting until the last minute to call her and knew it unlikely that her mother-in-law would spring out of bed and rush immediately out the door just for her.

When she reached the maternity ward they were waiting for her and she was promptly led to a room and given a hospital gown to change into. She stripped her old clothes off and slipped on the hospital gown, just before the doctor entered the room to check her dilation. No stranger to the game, Galina crawled onto the bed and clenched her teeth together so she wouldn't cry out as she was made to lie on her back, the most agonizing position for any labouring woman to possibly be in.

Eight centimeters dilated. The doctor wanted to break her waters and she agreed. She brought her fist to her mouth to bite down on. The process wasn't painful but felt strange and she'd never liked it. The immediate contraction to follow was the hardest yet, with no waters anymore to kind of cushion the blows. Galina felt like she was being ripped in half, at least she knew the pain was of the productive kind and soon she would be finished.

They tried to get her to stay lying down, but Galina ignored all their words as she climbed off the bed and bent over to relieve the pressure on her back. Rocking with the pain, she grunted and groaned while closing her eyes to block out the other people and movement in the room. She took no comfort from anyone's presence. This was something she had to get through on her own.

She was nearly there. Entirely in the zone and so focused on what she needed to do, she alternated between completely silent, wild eyed, moments of waiting and then the loud groans that rocked her body and were taking her the rest of the way. Her baby was so close. She concentrated on that image, concocted in her mind. Pictured Yuri and Maxim at home who she had endured this pain for also, and had always decided immediately after their births that it was worth it. The sight of her babies sweet faces had always been enough to make her forget the agony of bringing them into the world, and it would be the same again this time. She was strong enough to get through this, she was nearly there now. Even though she felt like giving up there was nowhere to run to. She had to keep going forward, and it was a relief to finally crawl up on the bed and demand they examine her. She needed to push. It was time to push.

The doctor returned and checked her, confirming what she'd already known. The nurses put her legs in the stirrups and Galina used her hands and arms to brace herself as she bared down with everything she had. She worked as hard as she possibly could, sinking back into the pillow when it was time for a brief rest. She wiped her sweaty face off with her hand as best she could because no towel was available and then was ready to push again. The room was loud with praise, but Galina felt like it was all coming from the back of a deep tunnel and was almost entirely indifferent to it.

Galina took a huge deep breath and brought her chin down to her chest as she gave one final push, her strongest yet. Although she could feel her body exhausting she kept pushing, persevering because she could tell that it was working and would probably be it if she just kept going. She didn't stop until she heard the beautiful newborn cries as her son was born. With that, Galina sank back in the bed and held her arms out eagerly. The baby was placed into them at once and his mother immediately brought him up to her chest with experienced ease. It was the most natural of things, and Galina felt at once like she had known him her entire life.

"Hello, Vasily," Galina whispered to the baby softly. His dark brown eyes were peering up at her curiously and he had stopped crying as soon as he was handed to his mother. He knew who he belonged to.

The medical staff in the room were just minor irritations at the moment. The doctor delivered the placenta and the nurses cleaned her up while Galina stared back into her son's eyes and ignored everyone else. Vasily began thrusting his tongue out of his mouth, moving his head to the side as he searched instinctively for his mother's breast. Galina reached behind her neck to untie the top of her gown and pulled it down one shoulder. With graceful hands she guided her baby to latch for the first time.

Vasily nursed, his eyes still fixated on her face like he was memorizing her. He'd gotten to know her over the past nine months, and now he knew what his mother looked like. Galina stroked the baby's cheek and smiled back down at him. It was the sort of moment one remembers forever.

"Mrs. Reznikov, is there anybody you would like us to call for you?" a nurse asked, gently placing her hand on Galina's arm to get her attention.

"Hmm?" Galina blinked, her eyes still focused on Vasily.

"Is there anyone we should call?" the nurse repeated.

"Oh..yes," Galina said softly. "Would you call my husband? Tell him the baby is here and we're both well. He can come see him later with our other boys tonight."

"Do you want to tell him yourself?" the nurse replied. "I can bring you a phone in here."

"No, not right now," Galina replied. She didn't want anything to interrupt this moment. She didn't want to share Vasily with anyone else right now. He was perfectly content, cradled in her arms while he nursed and that was all he needed. This evening would be soon enough.

"Oh, will you tell him to let his mother know she doesn't have to bother coming?" Galina asked, suddenly remembering. "She was supposed to be here for the birth but she didn't make it."

"Alright," the nurse replied. "I'll let your husband know." She left the room to make the call at the nurse's station, while Galina resumed stroking Vasily's cheek gently. She brought her hand up to caress his head and down the length of his back, which was hidden under a blanket someone had covered them with.

She leaned over to kiss his little head. He had quite a lot of hair, black wispy locks which surprised her. Yuri and Maxim had both been born nearly bald, and when it had grown in it had been fair strawberry blonde. Vasily was much darker. He looked like his father.

"I love you so much," Galina whispered, running a gentle finger over the place where his eyebrows would be. "I will never leave you. I'm your mama."


	7. Chapter 7

"What are we going to do first?" Yuri exclaimed, his big blue eyes the size of dinner plates as he took in his surroundings. They'd just climbed up the steps from the Metro, walking into a world of street performers, vendors selling different kinds of carnival food, and most spectacularly to the boys, a midway of different rides that would keep them busy all day long.

"What would you like to do first?" his mother asked with a smile as she worked to unclasp the buckles of the carrier she was wearing Vasily in on her back. Not surprisingly, the youngest boy had been a busy baby since birth. At two and a half years old he was vehemently opposed to sitting for very long in a stroller or being carried around by his mother. He wanted to try and keep up with his older brothers and now that they had completed their travels to getting here, Galina couldn't deny him that.

"The Tea Cups!" Yuri replied, pointing over at the spinning ride he always persuaded Galina onto during their annual trips to Coney Island. It was reaching the end of August and spending a day here had become a traditional way for Galina to wrap up the summer holidays before school began again. She could hardly believe that Yuri would be entering the first grade, with Maxim beginning junior kindergarten at fortunately only half-days. It made Galina sad to realize how quickly they were growing up, and made her grateful that she at least got to have Vasily at home for a couple more years. Even though the toddler was currently working to bolt away from her, it just made the times he was content to still be her baby all the more special.

"The Tea Cups," Galina repeated warily, just as Maxim rushed over and began tugging at the skirt of her red sundress. "Why don't we pick something that isn't so spinney first? Let your Mamochka work up to that, huh?" She glanced back over her shoulder and winked. "Unless Papa wants to ride it with you instead?"

"Say what?" Dmitri asked, raising his eyebrows. He had been staggering behind them for most of the journey so far. Wearing blue jeans and a blue button-up, he wasn't dressed appropriately for the August heat and was already complaining about how warm he was. He had almost tried to cancel on them at the last minute, when a mysterious phone call about some work had come in for him right when they were about to leave. However, his boss had consented to see him when he got back from the trip, urging Dmitri to enjoy his family.

"Do you want to ride in a Tea Cup with your sons?" his wife asked him coyly, pointing in the direction of the spinning ride that she had already rode several times in the past with the boys. Last year, Vasily had still been too small to ride on most things, and to give her attention to the older two, Galina had needed to pay for a sitter, a teenage girl from the neighbourhood, to accompany her and hold onto the baby. Since she'd always managed to muddle through with Yuri and Maxim alone, it had been challenging to accept that there were things it was just impossible to do safely when you had more children than hands.

"What do you think?" Dmitri replied sarcastically, as he sank down onto the first vacant park bench that they had reached. He watched with tired eyes as Vasily, finally free from his mother's grip began attempting to run away from the family. He had only taken a few steps away however, when Yuri sprinted over and gripped his hand.

"Please, Papa?" Maxim begged, walking up and tugging on the sleeve of his father's shirt. "We won't spin it too fast for you."

Galina sighed as she tossed the bag she had packed with Vasily's diapers and bottles of water and snacks for them all onto the bench beside Dmitri. She pulled out her wallet and then turned to her three sons. Yuri was still holding tightly to Vasily's hand. Knowing full well that Dmitri couldn't tolerate even the slowest of rides without getting sick and that Yuri and Maxim were apparently not to be persuaded to choose something else first, there was really no choice in the matter for her.

"Let's go buy our tickets first and then I'll take you on the Teacups," she announced, much to their delight. " _Have mercy_ ," she muttered under her breath.

"I'll wait here," Dmitri told her. As an afterthought he added thoughtfully. "Do you want me to watch Vasily for you?"

"No, that's alright," Galina replied, walking forward to take Vasily's tiny hand in hers. "I think he's tall enough now."

Lately, Dmitri had been making a considerable effort to be more involved in his children's lives. It was one of the reasons he was even with them at Coney Island when he had never accompanied them on the trip before. He said it was because Galina had been nicer and more considerate of him lately, and that made him want to spend more time with his family, or at least not deliberately avoid them as much. He still wasn't much help, but it was good for her to have another adult with her when she took the boys to busy places like this. She too, was aware of the differences in their relationship, or rather the changes that she had intentionally invoked to keep the peace. Her choices had everything to do with maintaining a stable home life for her sons, and almost nothing to do with actual affections, but she let Dmitri draw his own conclusions.

They'd stayed together when many others would have walked away, and it was that choice that would primarily shape them and their children going forward. Whether it was the right one or the wrong one, Galina couldn't tell. All she knew was that she felt a father was important to have in the home, and she thought her sons were better off living with both of them, rather than being moved back and forth every-other weekend. So, she'd taken the steps necessary to maintain that for them, working to keep the home as harmonious as she could by being more accepting of Dmitri and behaving more in the way she knew he expected a wife to be. She offered her husband sex, food, and a relatively easy life, asking for little else in return, other than that he go out and bring home a paycheck and behave like an involved father when he was around. So far, it seemed to be working. Especially, as the boys grew out of babyhood and became less needy. They had an arrangement.

Galina bought them all arm bands which meant unlimited rides all day and gritted her teeth at the cost. What she spent today would take her nearly a week to earn back in the store, but she saved up to do this with them every summer. She allowed Yuri and Maxim to lead the way to the lineup for the spinning tea cups, while she walked behind them holding tight to Vasily's hand. She let out a breath of relief when it was affirmed that he was indeed tall enough to ride this year. She would have felt like a monster sending him back to sit with his father. He hated to be left out.

A few minutes later, she found herself sitting in a round cup with the boys. One arm was wrapped around Vasily protectively, holding him close to her. Her other hand was gripping tightly to the steering wheel in the center. She fully intended to hold it as still as she could, but the giggling in the ride between the three brothers told her they had different plans.

"Mama, can we spin it?" Yuri pleaded as they began to move.

"Fine," Galina gave in, throwing up her hand and giving them reluctant free reign. "Have fun!" She leaned back into the seat, bringing her hand up to brush her hair back as they began to turn more rapidly as they took speed. She'd willingly gotten in when she knew it was going to make her dizzy and nauseous, just because she'd decided the grins on her boys' faces were more important. And as she watched them having the times of their lives, Galina couldn't resist a small smile of her own.

As an old woman reflecting back someday, she knew she would remember these years as some of the happiest and most fulfilling of her life. They were passing so quickly and she wanted to hang on to every moment, while also wondering how she would survive another day of the exhaustion and madness that came from parenting three small boys. Her love of being a mother was somehow the answer and she felt content now that she had everything she had ever wanted.

There was a sense of peace that came from being settled into a home and the stability of a family she had built. It might lack a desired daughter, but seeing her three boys together was so beautiful that it didn't seem to matter, and even Dmitri agreed with his wife's decision not to have anymore babies. It was too hard on her body, their finances, and, in Dmitri's opinion, had been the reason for the problems in their marriage. Now things were beginning to settle down, and the years following Vasily's birth were ones of gradual acceptance between the husband and wife. Galina and Dmitri had come to terms with who each other were, what they had, and why they'd both decided to stay. At least on the surface, their family appeared to be thriving.

"Can we go on the Mamochka Drunk Ride again?" Yuri asked boldly, giving his mother a cheeky giggle as she led them back towards their waiting father after their third round on the Teacups.

"I beg your pardon?" Galina said, rubbing the palm of her hand over her flushed cheek.

"You look like you're drunk," Yuri announced, without skipping a beat. "You can't walk straight."

"And how do you even know what the word drunk means?" Galina asked dryly. They reached the bench where Dmitri was still sitting and she threw her hands out to feel its boards before she sat down beside him.

"Babushka and Dedushka got drunk on the Fourth of July," Yuri reminded her. "That's what Papa told me, when I asked why they were acting so weird."

"Wonderful examples," Galina rolled her eyes over at her husband. She hadn't wanted to attend that supper with her in-laws for that reason, among others. However, her resolve to give in to Dmitri's wishes more meant she had been seeing a lot more of them than she would have preferred. She didn't push the subject however, as she motioned to the bag on Dmitri's other side.

"Water," she pleaded weakly to her husband, "and please tell me that it's cold."

"It is cold," Dmitri replied. Rummaging into the bag he emerged with a stainless-steel water bottle and handed it to her. "You packed them in ice-packs, remember?"

"Oh, thank God," Galina exclaimed. Without unscrewing the lid, she pressed the cool metal up against her face.

"Mama, can we go on that next?" Maxim asked, pointing up at the sky towards the Ferris wheel in the distance.

"Give me five minutes," Galina told him, alternating the cool bottle of water to the other side of her face.

"Yes, let Mama have a rest," Dmitri echoed. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer until her head was resting against his shoulder. She could have been tempted to pull away but she resisted. Her blue eyes danced up to look at their three children, all happy and secure in the knowledge that they had two parents who loved each other. And she felt in her heart that she was doing the right thing.

XXX

"I can't believe this happened to me," Dmitri was complaining later that evening. Sitting on the foot of one of the two beds in the room, he reached up to touch the top of his head and then winced from the pain.

"Why didn't you remind me?" He called into the bathroom.

"Remind you about what? That you're going bald?" Galina asked, walking over to stand in the door frame of the bathroom. She had Vasily in her arms, wrapped in a white towel and fresh from a bath.

"Maxim, keep the water in the tub," she scolded, glancing back over her shoulder. Then she stepped over to the bed and sat Vasily down on it beside his father.

"Will you put his diaper on?" she asked.

"Can't you see I'm in a bit too much agony right now?" Dmitri moaned. "The sun was just beaming down on me all day."

"Well, maybe you should have worn your hat," Galina said unsympathetically. Leaving Vasily seated on the bed working to untangle himself from the towel he was swaddled in, Galina walked back over to the bathroom to supervise the other two. Maxim was sitting in the tub playing with the cup she had used to rinse the soap off of them all. Yuri was standing in front of the sink, dressed in his pajamas, brushing his teeth.

"Your turn, honey," Galina told Maxim. Holding out another towel to him she helped him step out of the tub and then dried him off. "Let's go get dressed, hmm?"

Maxim slipped out of the towel and ran bare-naked out into the room. He did a flying leap onto the bed where Vasily was also bouncing happily, while Dmitri continued to sit on the edge and sulk.

"Oh my God," Dmitri groaned, "I can't wait until they're asleep." Standing up he moved over to the still untouched bed closer to the window. He found the television remote in the drawer and then flipped it on, leaning back against the headboard.

"Alright," Galina yawned spontaneously. She shook her head as Yuri shoved past her to join his brothers. He leaped onto the bed, and soon the three of them were crawling around the mattress like animals, two still without a stitch of clothing on. Suppressing another yawn, she walked over to the suitcase set on the bureau and began to pull out pajamas for them.

"I need my boys in their pajamas now because it's time for bed," she called over her shoulder. Turning around she motioned over with her hand. "Maxim, come get dressed."

Maxim groaned but hopped down from the bed. He frowned when she passed him his night clothes.

"I want you to help put them on me," Maxim said imploringly, as he tried to pass them back to her.

Galina didn't bother pointing out that he was more than capable of dressing himself. Sometimes Maxim got in moods where he sought out a little extra care from her. He still sometimes could act jealous of Vasily, resentful that he had lost his place as the baby in the family. Since it was usually just Galina on her own with the children, she tended to over-praise their growing independence as it eased her load. However, she tried to remain conscious of when they were seeking out a little extra attention. Dressing her capable four-year-old was really not too much to do, she reminded herself, as she knelt down to slip his Bugs Bunny t-shirt and matching shorts on. As soon as he was dressed, he ran off to re-join his brothers.

"Did you bring anything for a sunburn?" Dmitri asked her, calling over the noise of the television and Yuri and Vasily who were crawling around on the adjacent bed.

"I brought sunscreen," Galina called back, as she got up off her knees. "To _prevent_ a sunburn."

"Well, you never gave any to me," Dmitri complained.

"You saw me slathering it on myself and the boys all day," Galina reminded him. Grabbing a diaper and night shirt for Vasily, she walked over to the bed and caught him in mid-leap. Vasily had been about to attempt jumping from one bed to the next. "Yuri, Maxim," she called to the other two. "Get into bed."

Together they jumped one final time, landing on their bottoms on the mattress. Laughing together, they scrambled under the covers, still sitting up in wait for their mother's goodnight kisses. They seemed to be of boundless energy, although they had been going all day and would probably crash as soon as the light turned off.

Galina lay Vasily down on the bed and quickly diapered him and pulled a shirt up over his head. Leaning over him, she kissed his cherub cheek playfully and then the other when it made him giggle. As she went to straighten up, Vasily gripped tightly to her red sundress with his tiny fists and came up too. Now over-tired, he was beginning to feel sleepy again as the room quieted and he needed his mama close to fall asleep. It had been like that every day since he was born.

Scooping him up, Galina balanced him on her hip as she walked over to the other bed where Yuri and Maxim were waiting for her.

"Lie down," she instructed them, and when they wriggled down in the bed she pulled the covers up under their chin and smoothed them. Then, she leaned over to kiss them both goodnights. "I love you, my boys," she told them, flicking the light switch off.

"Mama," Yuri called, in the dark.

"Yes, darling?" Galina asked. She brought a hand up to wedge between her breast and Vasily, who was busy burrowing his face against the fabric of her dress.

"Tomorrow, can we ride on the Teacups again?" he asked hopefully.

"I think so," Galina replied with a small smile, adjusting Vasily in her arms. "Maybe once or twice after breakfast."

Although it wasn't a far distance from Coney Island to their home in Astoria, Dmitri and Galina had decided to reserve a room in a simple but clean hotel just a short distance from the Boardwalk. Galina had wanted to show the boys the fireworks show and the rides when they were all lit up, but since she hadn't been comfortable taking the subway with them after dark, staying at a hotel just seemed to make sense. It made this simple outing she took them on every summer feel more like a grand adventure, even though they were less than an hour from home. And it would mean they could go on rides and have some more fun tomorrow until it was time to go.

"Milky," Vasily whimpered at her sadly.

"Shhhhh," his mother soothed. "Do you want some water, baby?" she offered him as an alternative. She picked up his sippy cup from the table and held it out to him, but Vasily just shoved it angrily away.

"No," he pouted, pressing his face down mournfully against her chest again. Galina sighed and carried him back over to the bed. Weaning him from breastfeeding had so far been proving to be a difficult task, which wasn't helped along by her not being too eager to end that part of their relationship either. She'd now successfully nursed three babies, but while Yuri and Maxim had been finished around a year, Vasily was still wanting as they were slowly approaching the age of three. If it wasn't for Dmitri's disapproval, Galina would be content to allow him to nurse until he decided he was done with it on his own.

Still wearing the same dress, she had had on all day, Galina laid Vasily down in the center of the bed next to Dmitri and then scooted in beside him. She manipulated the blankets to form a sort of barricade between them, effectively blocking her breasts to keep him from accessing them. Shushing his whimpering protests, she smoothed back his hair and kissed his cheeks again. She was trying to comfort and soothe him to sleep without breastfeeding. The bedtime nursing was the one he loved the most.

"What's wrong with him?" Dmitri asked with a frown. He had been lying on his side facing away but now rolled over to his other side to look at them.

"He's not used to being away from home at night," Galina said sympathetically, as she stroked her son's dark hair off of his face. She paused and then moved her hand back to lay flat against his forehead.

"He feels a little warm to me," she observed. "Are you sick, baby?"

"He probably has what I have," Dmitri told her. " Too much sun. I feel like someone is drilling a hole into my brain and I feel cold, even though I know it's warm in here."

"How's your sunburn?" Galina asked him flatly. She pulled the blankets tightly against her chest as Vasily was attempting to pry them away so he could reach her breasts.

"Painful," Dmitri replied. "I guess I'll buy a hat in the morning before we go out." He sighed, reaching out his hand to touch his son's shoulder. "Do you want me to try with him for a bit?"

"Seriously?" Galina blinked in surprise.

"Well, unless you give in and let him suck on your tit I know he won't go to sleep for you," Dmitri replied.

"Fine," Galina said shortly, not bothering to retort back against his crude comment. He made it sound like she was doing, or had been, doing something wrong. Something inappropriate with her son that was sickening and needed to be stopped. Even if she did agree that Vasily was getting a little older than she'd prefer to breastfeed, she begrudged the notion that anyone could make something that had nourished and bonded them since his birth seem dirty. She bit down on her tongue so that she wouldn't be tempted to lash back.

Gently shifting Vasily closer to his father, she crawled out of the bed which only made her son fuss more loudly. "I'm going to take a shower," she told them. Walking past Yuri and Maxim, she could tell that they were both already sleeping soundly, as she had predicted.

XXX

Galina had barely gotten wet when she heard the door open and sighed. She'd half expected Dmitri to pass her a crying Vasily though the shower curtain and say he couldn't take it anymore, the other part of her assumed it might be one of the bigger boys needing to use the toilet. Tilting her head back to allow the water to spray down her long red hair, Galina's eyes widened in alarm when the curtain was pulled back and Dmitri stepped in.

"Get out of the way," he told her with frantic urgency. "I need the shower more than you do. _O Gospodi!"_ His words were muffled from the toothbrush he had hanging out of his mouth.

"What the f*ck?" Galina exclaimed angrily, as she was pushed aside. Stepping back against the far wall of the tub she glared at her husband who had immediately begun soaping up his body like he was afraid of catching the plague. All the while, he continued to use his other hand to brush ferociously at his teeth.

"What is the matter with you?"

"You can't smell it?" Dmitri demanded. "That _Осёл_ threw up all over me. Some of it got in my mouth!"

"Vasily?" Galina asked sharply.

"It's everywhere," Dmitri exclaimed, as he looked down and spit a mouthful of toothpaste forcefully down the drain. "It's sickening."

"Well, where is he?" she said incredulously. Stepping out of the tub, she hastily wrapped a towel around herself and walked back out into the main room. By some miracle, Yuri and Maxim were both still sleeping soundly, while Vasily sat up in the middle of their bed crying so loudly it amazed his mother that she hadn't heard it over the water.

"Oh, _moy rebenok,"_ Galina exclaimed. Wasting no time, she walked over to Vasily and scooped her baby up in her arms. He was covered in his own vomit. His mouth covered, so that Galina didn't even hesitate before instinctively using the tail end of the towel she was wearing to wipe his face off.

"Shhh, it's alright," she comforted. "Mama get you cleaned up."

"Mama," Vasily sobbed, as Galina set him on the edge of the bed and quickly whipped his drenched night shirt up over his head, leaving him in just a diaper which had gotten splattered too. She took him back in her arms and then flicked on the lamp to its lowest setting, trying not to wake the others. She could see that the bedding had been completely destroyed too.

"Hurry up, _Dima_ ," Galina called, trying to keep the anger in her tone under control as she walked back into the bathroom with her son in her arms. "He needs to get cleaned up too." Setting Vasily down on the floor, Galina knelt to untape his diaper while he looked at her with watery brown eyes that seemed sunken. How had she not noticed how sick he had become?

After what felt like far too long, Dmitri stepped out of the shower and grabbing a towel, left the bathroom without another word. Galina set the stopper in the bath and then began to fill the tub up with water, kneeling on the floor still wearing only the towel that now had vomit residue on the edges.

She didn't fill the tub too much. As soon as there was enough depth to it she sat Vasily in it and immediately began lathering him up. She washed his hair quickly while he cried and then cleaned the rest of him as fast as she could. She didn't want him to get chilled. She lifted him out of the tub as quickly as she had put him in and then wrapped him up in a fresh towel before carrying him out.

"We need to call housekeeping," Galina was saying, as she dug out a clean diaper for her son. She changed him on the floor and decided against dressing him in more clean clothing, in case he got sick again, and instead wrapped him up in an extra blanket one of the other boys had kicked off their bed.

"Dmitri?" she said, looking around when she got no reply. She didn't immediately spot him. She thought perhaps he may have thought of it on his own and gone out to the lobby himself to see about laundry pick up and getting clean sheets for the bed. However, she soon spied him tucked under the blanket with Yuri and Maxim. He had pushed the boys over to make room for himself and almost looked to be already sleeping himself.

"Dmitri?" Galina said again incredulously.

"What?" her husband asked, opening up a single eyelid to squint at her.

Galina sucked in her breath too mad to even reply. She dropped her own towel and quickly slipped on her own nightgown and the hotel issued robe on top of that so she would at least feel semi presentable. Since she wasn't about to leave Vasily alone with his father again, she carried him with her, walking out of their hotel room and down the hall to where the lobby they had checked into that afternoon was.

Nobody was at the desk right away when she got there. She had to wait for a few minutes, feeling self-conscious of herself in public wearing nothing but her nightgown and robe. She hadn't even remembered to slip on a pair of shoes. Her bare feet felt cool against the tile, her red nail polish gleaming.

"Yes, ma'am, may I help you?" a voice asked, just when Galina was about to give up and go back to the room. A young man in a pressed black suit walked up and slipped behind the front desk.

"Yes," she answered. "I'm afraid my son got very sick. All the bedding needs to be washed and we'll need another set. I'm very sorry," she added apologetically.

"It happens," the clerk said with a kind smile. "All the rides and swallowing salt water if they go swimming in the bay. We get sick kids her a lot. I'll have housekeeping meet you at your room."

"Thank you," Galina replied. She walked back to the room, slightly breathless with her bundle of child still in her arms. Vasily was clutching onto her for dear life, uttering pathetic whimpering sounds making it quite clear he still wasn't feeling well, although she thought the worst was behind him.

Housekeeping was already waiting at the door when she got back. A woman who looked to be about her own age.

"I'm very sorry about this," Galina apologized again. She unlocked the door and led the way into the room, while the woman pushed a big cart. "Let me help you."

She set Vasily down into an arm chair by the window and then went to the other side of the bed that the housekeeper was on to assist with stripping the sodden sheets. She knew she didn't have to. But she felt uncomfortable watching the other woman working when it was Galina's son who had gotten sick. She was also eager for the process to go along faster, so she could get back to tending her baby and see about getting him to sleep.

Galina lay the fresh towels the housekeeper had brought her down on top of the sheets once she had pulled back the duvet of the newly made bed. She didn't want to have to call again if Vasily got sick a second time. So, she protected the sheets, laid him down on top of the clean towel, and then crawled in beside him. Vasily appeared to be on the brink of sleep, which was what he needed. She leaned over him to get the light, giving her sleeping husband a final dirty look before the room darkened.

"Mama," Vasily whimpered, reaching out his arms to her.

"Shhhh, darling, I'm right here," she reminded him. She had already slipped out of the robe, now curling onto her side to lie with him. Her left arm was curved over his head on the pillow.

Vasily wiggled even closer to her in the big bed they at least didn't have to share with his father that night. Galina knew Dmitri wouldn't come back for anything. He had a phobia of germs and would treat their son like a ticking time bomb since he had gotten sick on him. At the thought, Galina's lips tugged into a malicious smile. She thought Dmitri had deserved it.

She smoothed Vasily's hair back and double checked his blankets to make sure he was covered and warm enough. Then, because it was natural and felt right, she pulled down the front of her nightgown and wordlessly offered to nurse him. Vasily latched on immediately in pure desperation, as all thoughts about him being too old flew out of his mother's mind.

He was still her baby and he needed her, Galina resolved as she wrapped her arm around him and hugged him close while he breastfed. She wasn't going to let Dmitri pressure her about pushing her son away when he still sought out this comfort from her. Some things couldn't be rushed.

 **Thank you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter jumps ahead. Dialogue written in italics means it was said on the actual show, because we are now beginning to cross into that part of Red's life.**

"Sloppy handwriting, your argument is confusing, and it sounds like you gathered your material for this paper by skimming the Coles notes at the public library!" Galina scolded Maxim. She had pounced on him the moment he and his brothers had arrived home from school on a chilly Wednesday afternoon and had insisted on reading the essay he was expected to turn in to English class the next day. She'd received his midterm grades in the mail that afternoon and hadn't been pleased in the least. Her follow up call to the school had only upset her more.

"Did you even read the book?" Galina demanded to know, while Yuri and Vasily exchanged silent glances behind her back and just considered themselves grateful that it wasn't them she was angry with at the moment.

Galina didn't mean to yell, but the stress of everything that had happened that day had been building up inside her like a tsunami of terror and she had been waiting to go off all day. To Maxim's poor marks and his teachers' comments about his lack of focus in class and commitment to his homework had just been the perfect excuse. She was disappointed in him when she'd always emphasize the importance of education. However, she knew her son was also currently being the scapegoat to what was really going on.

The person she was really angry with right now was herself. She had been pacing back and forth all afternoon hoping Dmitri would walk through the doors and yell at her, punish her, say whatever he was going to say but hopefully-dear god, hopefully-have some solution to what she had done. Galina couldn't think of a way to make it right-she hadn't been thinking at all in the heat of the moment, which was the problem. She just wished she could go back and undo what she had done that afternoon, and it was taking all of her strength not to show her children how terrified she currently was. Yelling about a poor school report was actually an effective way to channel her anxiety in a way that would not arouse much suspicion. If she thought about it, Maxim had given her a gift by the way of a temporary diversion. For the first time since the **"Tit Punch** " had occurred, Galina found herself temporarily distracted from it.

"Sort of," Maxim answered sheepishly from his seat at the round table near the door of their shop. He supposed he should just be grateful that there were no customers currently there to bear witness to his mother scolding him. She didn't look like she would hold back for anything right now.

Having looked determinedly down at his clasped hands while she had been reading his poorly written composition, Maxim now snuck a quick glance up at his mother's face. He noticed immediately that her eyes were red and her cheeks were blotchy, as though she had spent the entire afternoon crying. There were scratch marks along the pale skin of her neck, like she'd been digging her fingernails into her flesh.

Maxim wondered if that was all because of him, although he considered that to be quite an overreaction to a few mediocre grades if it was. He had always been a good student and he would be again. He opened his mouth to speak, and promise his mama that he would work harder from now on, but Galina just held out a hand to silence him.

"What do you mean "sort of"?" she mocked, with an angry roll of her eyes. "Did you or did you not read this book before sitting down to work on this essay? And did you seriously expect Mrs. Cashen not to notice?"

"I didn't read it," Maxim admitted, looking back down at his folded hands. "Mama, I tried to but it was so long and I didn't have enough time-"

"Don't make excuses," Galina told him sternly, as she dropped his notebook onto the table in front of him. She'd noticed Maxim had been slacking a bit since school had commenced two months ago. However, now that he was a freshman in high school she had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him the opportunity to take responsibility for his own schoolwork without her continually checking over his shoulder. Now she believed that to have been a mistake.

"There was plenty of time, you were just being lazy," Galina snapped. "And laziness is not something that I am going to tolerate from any of you boys," she added, turning around to glare pointedly at Yuri and Vasily who had been helping themselves to the _Vatrushka_ set in the display case. There mother usually prepared a snack for them to eat when they first got home. However, she seemed to have forgotten that day and so they were helping themselves.

"Mama, I don't even have any homework tonight because I got it all finished in class today," ten-year-old Vasily told her proudly, once he had swallowed the food in his mouth.

"Good boy," Galina praised her youngest son with a weak smile. Vasily was the only one of the three who still seemed to seek her out and desire attention from her. The other two were now in high school and went out a lot more with friends and had their own things going on. Galina was fine with this, so long as they continued to make good grades and were behaving themselves. However, she was currently regretting not keeping a closer eye on her middle child.

It honestly surprised her, because Maxim was easily the most laid back of all three of her boys. Perhaps that was the issue, if left to his own devices he wouldn't have the motivation to get the job done. He was quite like his father in that way. Dmitri might get ambitious ideas but he had no clue how to carry them out without depending on her. He'd forced her to do several things to save his ass that she was uncomfortable with. Most especially after what had transpired that morning.

"Come bring me your bag so I can make sure," Galina instructed Vasily, before turning back around to glare at Maxim. "And that goes for you too," she added. "If I can't trust you to complete your assignments on time and acceptably, then I am going to have to watch over you like a little boy to make sure that you do. So from now on, you leave your agenda and homework on the counter for me to look through every day."

"Oh, Ma!" Maxim complained, though he knew it would do himself no good. He was deeply regretting his procrastination now. He had made the unfortunate mistake of getting too swept up in the excitement of a bigger school and less supervision to pay as much attention to his studies as he should have. He knew perfectly well that arguing would get him nowhere. His mother took their educations seriously and had been actively involved in their school council their entire lives. If he wanted to be trusted to handle his classes himself again, then he would have to earn it. So, suppressing a sigh, Maxim stood up from the table and walked around the counter to begin peeling the carrots for their supper. He deeply regretted adding to his mother's already high stress levels.

Times had been rough for their family lately. And although Galina never spoke about her financial concerns to her boys, they all were aware of it. That was part of the reason why they were eating supper downstairs in the shop instead of in their apartment kitchen. Galina had extended the store's hours into the evening, which meant they needed to be there in case a customer came in. She'd begun opening every Sunday as well, a practice she didn't mind because it had drawn in a whole new customer base and kept her busy now that the boys were always with their friends on the weekends and didn't need her very much.

"You didn't think she'd find out?" Yuri rolled his eyes at his brother, before reaching for a fresh loaf of bread from the pile in his mother's shopping trolley. He briefly wondered why she hadn't put all of the bread away by now, before shrugging it off assuming that she had gone to the bakery later than she normally did. Maybe the lunch hour had been busier than usual that particular day, he sincerely hoped that it had been. He thought his mother looked extremely worn out. He'd have liked to suggest they go upstairs after supper to relax and watch a movie, but he knew she probably still had things to finish first.

As he had grown up, Yuri had gotten an even greater appreciation for everything his mother did for them. She worked really hard-without much support from his father, Yuri was forced to admit, and she never complained about it. She loved them and gave every piece of herself to them every single day. He felt guilty sometimes for not spending as much time with her as he used to. He was busy with homework, going on group outings that included the girl he liked, and with the school's track team. He knew his mother was proud of him, but also suspected she was pretty lonely now that they were all getting older. For so long, Galina's life had revolved around her children and now, besides work, she didn't have much to distract herself with. Yuri knew his father wasn't around much and he didn't think his mother had any friends, aside from a few customers she chatted with while she served them their coffee and assisted them. He thought she deserved more.

"Is Papa coming home for supper tonight?" Vasily asked, as he gathered four plates instinctively to set the table with. Dmitri rarely was home in time for dinner. He was usually out working odd jobs that he refused to give his sons details about when they asked.

"I don't think so," Galina had replied indifferently, though all three of her sons noticed the way she glanced at the clock and then nervously back towards the door. Digging through Maxim's backpack thoroughly, Galina pulled out his agenda and grimaced at the appalling way he had scribbled down his homework.

"I'm not sure I can even read this with my glasses on," she shook her head disapprovingly, as she adjusted the new reading glasses she had perched on her nose. She had stubbornly refused to accept she needed them for the longest time, before finally giving in and scheduling an appointment with an optometrist. Vasily had gone with her and helped her pick out the violet frames. He'd thought they were pretty. He liked to play with the string she hung them around her neck with when they cuddled late at night when he couldn't fall asleep and would come find her reading in bed.

"I can read it," Maxim replied quietly. "And I was the only one that was supposed to, so I didn't think it mattered. My essay is written neater."

"Barely," Galina told him curtly, squinting down at his agenda. "And since I am going to be checking this again until further notice, I would appreciate if you wrote more neatly. Honestly," she exhaled loudly as she shoved the planner back inside her son's backpack and then packed up his English notebook too.

"Maxim, after supper I expect you to finish reading the book and then fix the mistakes in your essay," Galina ordered. "I want it rewritten so that your teacher can actually read it."

"That will take all night," Maxim argued.

"Then I suggest you work quickly," Galina told him unconcernedly. "I have some more things I need to take care of down here, so you boys will be on your own. Yuri, darling, if I'm not up before nine, then I need you to make sure Vasily has his bath and gets to bed on time. Alright?"

"Sure, Ma," Yuri agreed smoothly. "But I wish you would take a break for just one night. You've been working so hard lately."

Galina smiled sadly and found she suddenly could not meet her son's eye. "Don't worry about me," she replied softly, before nodding over to the stove. "Let's focus on getting supper finished so we can eat."

XXX

Several hours after the supper dishes were cleared and she had sent her sons upstairs, Galina sat in wait at the round table by the door of her shop. The sky was now black, the street lights shining through the picture window cast an illuminating shadow over the floor, wall, and Galina's hands as they lay firmly clasped on the tabletop. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only sound in the entire place. Through the ceiling, Galina had been able to hear the television in her living room playing through the evening, but like good boys, she'd heard it promptly flicked off around ten and knew that Yuri had done as she'd asked and was probably making Vasily get to bed.

She'd expected Dmitri back at least an hour ago and was awaiting his homecoming with a mixture of eagerness and dread. She hadn't spoken to him all day but she knew that Ganya had surely filled him in about what had happened. As the time continued to crawl with no sign of Dmitri, Galina grew increasingly agitated. She'd already scrubbed the shop from top to bottom and organized the books to perfection. With nothing more to distract herself with, Galina stood up from her chair and began pacing the shop, wringing her hands together in anxiety.

She knew that Dmitri had to be with Ganya. He was often out doing mysterious jobs for him after dark, but never this late and if he had intended to be, he'd have surely called. She worried that Dmitri might be lying on the streets wounded. Beaten up, or worse, by those scary goons that followed Ganya around and that had been accompanying him to her shop more and more frequently lately. Perhaps Ganya had saw fit to punish Dmitri for what his wife had done. Or maybe there was a simple explanation to her husband's absence. He could have gone to see his sister, who now lived off welfare checks and all by herself in the apartment since their parents had passed. Maybe he had decided to leave her and the boys at long last. She wouldn't even blame him after what she had done. There was no way to justify herself to him.

Walking back and forth like a caged lion, Galina was facing away from the door when she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock and turned around to see Dmitri standing there.

"Dima," she whimpered, relief coursing through her at the mere sight of him. He looked unharmed and his face was a comforting sight right about now. Dmitri was never much use to her with the kids, with work, or emotionally, but his presence was at least a reassurance that she was not actually alone. Though she might feel like a single mother much of the time, she did have a husband who occasionally came through for her. Maybe he would know what to do.

" _What the fuck were you thinking?"_ were the first words out of Dmitri's mouth when he stepped over the threshold. His hands were twitching in fury and Galina actually took a couple of steps back from him, although he'd never slapped her in all of their years of marriage. She wouldn't have blamed him for being tempted to take a swing at her right now though, she had been beating herself up internally all day.

" _After all Ganya's done for us!"_ Dmitri hollered, his voice rising as he took several steps towards her. Galina found she couldn't meet his eye or even face him right now while he yelled at her as she'd been anticipating. She knew she deserved it but that didn't make it any easier to take. She turned away, walking into the back of the store as Dmitri kept step with her, walking behind her with thundering footsteps and continuing to chastise her.

" _He loved those tits!"_

" _He'll get them back. There's plenty more of them back at the tit store!"_ Galina snapped, her defenses rising although she knew what she'd done was inexcusable.

" _Did you count to ten? You're supposed to count to ten!"_ Dmitri asked frantically, and Galina flushed as tears brimmed in her eyes. Words alone could never express how stupid and embarrassed she was feeling. After years of telling her boys to take the high ground and use their words, instead of their fists, to solve disagreements, Galina had behaved like an impulsive child.

" _I never even wanted to speak to those Pizdy!"_ Galina exclaimed, as though that would make a difference. " _You made me!"_

She resented Dmitri so entirely for putting her in bad positions all the time with no regard ever given to her feelings or concerns. Aside from the fact that those women had made Galina feel wrought with a shyness and insecurity that she thought she had overcome as an adult, Dmitri had completely dismissed her when she told him that Ganya and his groups' presence made her uncomfortable and that she didn't approve of Dmitri getting caught up with them.

Dmitri had been doing so on the sly for several years and for the most part Galina had done her best to turn a blind eye and not ask questions she didn't want the answers to. It didn't take a genius to configure that Ganya and his small-run produce business could not support the extravagant lifestyle that he and his family lived. There were whispers up and down their neighbourhood part in Little Russia and though for the most part she felt safe in her community, there sometimes news headlines with unsolved crimes suspected to be linked to gang activity that hit a little too close to home.

Obviously, Galina wanted her sons shielded away from any such exposure or potential danger, but sometimes things Dmitri had said would make the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She didn't like that he worked for cash under the table and had frequently urged him to apply for legitimate jobs in the plants and factories around their industrial part of the city. However, one of Dmitri's greatest flaws was that his employment history had always been shoddy and wrecked by terminations and layoffs. Ganya had come through for him for years, perhaps because he sensed in Dmitri a simple person who would be loyal and capable of keeping his mouth shut.

It was difficult for Galina to dispute that when they needed the money and the constantly rising costs of everything made running her business very difficult. She knew she couldn't financially make it on her own and cash income they didn't declare or need to pay taxes on allowed them to survive. So she'd kept silent while Dmitri became increasingly more valued by Ganya and given more responsibilities, moving from just packaging deliveries to actually getting to sit in on strategizing meetings, revealing to him the world behind the produce business that was the front to an entire criminal enterprise.

Dmitri hadn't shared any of this with Galina, but him offering their store as a meeting place had crossed the line and given Galina much more insight into the mob players that her husband was rubbing shoulders with. It was an invasion that still brought tears of alarm and rage into Galina's eyes at Dmitri's lack of regard for his family's security, but she'd handled the situation by keeping her head down and going about her work as though they were just like any other customers frequenting her shop. Galina had never even wanted to speak to them beyond taking their food and drink orders, but at Dmitri's insistence she had made the effort. There didn't seem to be any choice in the matter, from where she had stood. Although now of course she'd wished she'd refused more strongly.

" _Why did you do such a thing?"_ Dmitri demanded to know, cornering her with her back against the wall. They were so close together. His stale breath could be felt against Galina's cheek but she didn't even register it right now. In her emotional state, her defenses dropped and the tears she'd been struggling to hold back from defiance now gushed down her cheeks as her entire body trembled.

" _Because they left me out!"_ Galina shrieked, her voice cracking and she blurted out the most honest answer she had probably given in years. " _Because they made fun of me! Because no matter how hard we try or how much we want it, there's the people who serve the bread, and the people who eat the bread! And for once, it would be nice if you would be on my side."_

The walls she'd carefully built up between them to endure this strained marriage and tolerate her husband's many faults came crashing down. She was holding nothing back and Dmitri actually took a step away from her in shock at the explosion. He'd expected a frosty and defensive response from her, but instead was now faced with a woman in a state of hysteria. He'd never seen her break this way.

Galina was usually a pillar of strength, who gave him every non-verbal impression that she did not need him and usually preferred to be without him. She was an excellent mother, she ran their home and shop meticulously well, and Dmitri never really bothered to give more of himself in the same way because he knew he couldn't do it as well as her and never felt appreciated when he'd tried anyway. Now she was crumbling, a broken woman who had behaved ridiculously and endangered all of them. He'd been tempted to leave her after this, pack his bags this same night and walk away so that she couldn't destroy him along with herself. However, how pathetic she looked right now was in someway endearing. She wasn't nearly as strong as she wanted to think that she was. As he watched her, Dmitri found his anger dissolving into sympathy.

" _I'm on your side, Galya,"_ he told her, in a much gentler voice. " _I'm with you."_

Dmitri pulled her into his arms and enjoyed the way she just melted against him. Galina's hands clenched at the fabric of his shirt, balling it into her fists as she clung to him. She didn't have a friend in the world, which wasn't anything new, but which Ganya and his associates wives had forced her to realize. As resentful as she had been about Dmitri forcing her to socialize with them, the hardest part was admitting to herself that she had tried really hard to get them to like her and hadn't fit in.

She wished she could say she didn't care what they thought about her, but a few minutes into their first stifled conversation had been enough to make her feel desperate for their approval. Then, to realize they had excluded her and been laughing at her had been the ultimate blow. It made her feel exactly like the little girl she used to be. The one the other students had passed notes about, who had eaten lunch in the cafeteria alone, and who had never been asked to dance by a boy before meeting Dmitri at the age of eighteen. As much as it pained her to admit it, Dmitri was the closest person she had to a real friend. At least he had wanted her back then and stayed ever since. There was a lot to be said about that.

" _And together we've got to figure this out, cause this is bad. Real bad,"_ Dmitri said, while continuing to hold her tight in his arms. Galina sniffled as she pulled back just enough to look at him. Her gratitude to him right now was not to be overlooked.

" _How bad?"_ she forced herself to ask the much feared question.

" _They want, $60,000,"_ Dmitri told her slowly. His eyes were wide with panic, though his hands were strong and reassuringly cool when he reached out to hold both of hers.

" _No boob job costs $60,000,"_ Galina cried, as a fresh pool of tears raced down her cheeks. _"That's crazy."_

" _This one does,"_ Dmitri replied defeatedly. Galina's hands were shaking in his but he held them tightly. Neither needed to say it out loud. They both knew they were completely screwed. After Dmitri had been let go from the last honest job he had worked, changing oil and rotating tires in a garage, they had been forced to take out a second mortgage which meant their home had barely any equity to it if they were to sell it now. They had no savings to speak of either, having been paycheque to paycheque for the entirety of their married life. Even if they gave up absolutely everything they had there was no way they could come up to a sum of money that would be even half of what Ganya and Marina were requesting. They both felt trapped, and it was all Galina's fault.

"" _I was...I was just...they're so mean,"_ Galina stammered, but there was no justification for what she had done and for the trouble she had just brought down on her family. She had just snapped. Without rhyme or reason, her hand had moved of its own accord and shoved into Marina. It was so stupid and senseless.

" _So are the men they married,"_ Dmitri told her darkly. " _They meaner."_

Galina nodded her head and brought their clasped hands up to her lips so she could kiss his rough knuckles.

" _I'm sorry, Dima,"_ she whispered and a surge of love and affection for the man rose within her, along with relief, when he pulled her back into his arms for another hug. Galina was pretty sure that she wouldn't have been as understanding if their positions were reversed right now and she could feel her dissatisfaction for everything he was not melting away as she hugged him back.

" _We'll figure something out,"_ Dmitri whispered into her ear. " _We always do. It's okay."_

XXX

They'd gone upstairs together holding hands the entire time and found the apartment as silent as it should be around the stroke of twelve on a school night. The cat came to greet them at the door with a friendly mew, unbeknownst to all of the new problems her mistress had brought on them. Dmitri made straight for their bedroom, pulling Galina's hand and looking back in surprise when she shook her head.

"Come to bed," he urged her. "I will go back and speak to Ganya tomorrow morning. I'll make a deal to work for free until the money is paid. It will be okay."

"It will take years to work that back," Galina told him quietly. "Do you think he will be patient for that long?"

"Let me worry about that," Dmitri replied. "I shouldn't have-I never should have brought them here or got you involved with them at all. I know what they are. I should have kept you out of it."

"You shouldn't have started working for him in the first place," Galina whispered back. "You knew what they said about him."

Dmitri shook his head. "There's no going back. Now, are you coming to bed?"

"I want to check on the boys first," Galina replied, as she let go of his hand. "You go ahead." She walked into the living room, yawning. Her head was pounding from all the crying she had done that night and in the afternoon before her sons had come home. Her eyes were dry and every bone of her body seemed heavy with exhaustion. She was so tired that she almost didn't register Maxim, sitting curled up on one end of the sofa with his notebook in his lap and a novel set beside him until she was right in front of him.

"Maxie," Galina whispered _,_ "why are you still awake?"

Maxim gave her a funny look. "You said I wasn't allowed to sleep until I rewrote my essay."

"Oh, right," Galina replied flatly. Taking a deep breath she walked over to the couch and sat down in the center cushion so that she was directly beside him.

"Listen, honey," she began. "I'm sorry I yelled at you today."

"Oh, yeah?" Maxim muttered, his eyes still focused on his notebook as he added another sentence to the bottom of the page in very neat penmanship.

"It wasn't about you," Galina continued. "I was upset about something else and I took it out on you. Of course, I want you to do better than you have been doing in school but that's only because I know you're capable of doing very well when you put in the effort. I only want what's best for you. I don't want you to end up like me and Papa, struggling every single day to barely make ends meet."

"Is Pop not working again?" Maxim asked her bluntly, putting his pen down. "Is that why you guys stayed downstairs all night, just to yell at each other?"

"No," Galina shook her head. "Honey, no. Papa is working very hard. I shouldn't have said anything. Everything is fine. I didn't mean to worry you. I just meant that I want your life to be easier, but we're okay."

"If you say so," Maxim shrugged.

"Are you almost finished?" Galina asked. She put her glasses on and then leaned closer to him so that she could read over his shoulder.

"I think so," Maxim replied. "I guess I should look it over. Make sure that I didn't make any spelling or grammatical mistakes. You know if we got a computer so that Yuri and I could type our papers out it would be a lot easier."

"Well, I'm not sure that I can help you with that at the moment," Galina replied wryly. "But I will help by proofreading this for you tonight so that you can get to bed. It's late."

"Thank you," Maxim said, with a deep exhale. "My eyes were starting to go blurry."

"Get some sleep, honey," Galina told him with a small smile. She scratched her nails lightly against his back and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm proud of you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Lines in** _ **Italics**_ **were actually spoken on the show.**

In the days that followed, Galina tried her hardest to act like nothing had changed, even though the persistent knot in her stomach told her otherwise. She couldn't stop worrying and the panic that had engulfed her since her and Dmitri's confrontation had become her near constant state. She had to resist flinching every time the bell above the store door chimed to announce a new customer. She kept expecting mafia goons to turn up with the sole intention of making her pay for what she had done. However, over a week had now passed and nobody had come and nothing had happened. Galina was really beginning to hope that for once in his life Dmitri really had handled it and everything would be okay as he had promised.

He went out every single day and usually didn't return until late at night after she'd already tucked herself into bed. She hadn't been sleeping well at all though and since Vasily usually sought her out at some point in the middle of the night anyway, Galina had even been encouraging him to just start out in her bed in the first place. During the daytime, she had been trying to spend as much time with her sons as she could, which explained why she was currently sitting on the sofa between the two youngest and watching an unappealing show while ignoring the work she still needed to complete downstairs. She hadn't finished before her sons had been heading up for the evening, and Galina had been afraid to stay alone in the store after dark. Their company had become an indescribable comfort to her and being around the boys was just about the only time she was able to feel normal.

"Which is better?" Yuri called, walking into the living room holding two shirts hung on hangers out before him. He held a grey polo up to his front and then alternated with a blue and yellow plaid button-up.

Grateful for a reprieve from the television, Galina turned towards her oldest son. Slinging an arm around Vasily's shoulders, who was nestled up beside her to watch his show, Galina had to bite back a smile as she observed the way Yuri was rocking anxiously on the balls of his feet. It amused her to see him so nervous. After all, he had known Anna, a girl from their neighbourhood, since the two had attended kindergarten together and they'd hung out with groups of other kids for many years. However, this was the first time they would be going out just the two of them. It changed the entire dynamic of the relationship and Yuri had been fretting for days.

"You trying to look good for your _girlfriend_ ," Vasily crooned teasingly, earning himself a swat to the side of the head as he leaned against her. At ten, he was still as much of a mama's boy as ever and wasn't shy about it, although his boldness never ceased from giving his brothers a hard time.

"Shut up," Yuri rolled his eyes, He gathered both shirts into the same hand and then slicked his reddish blonde hair, still damp from the shower, back against his head.

"I like the grey one," Galina replied, standing up suddenly and causing Vasily to crash back on the sofa.

"You could have given me some warning, mama," Vasily complained, rubbing at his head dramatically as he'd fallen back onto the sofa after his mother had moved away without warning.

"The grey one? Really?" Yuri intoned dully, holding it out in front of his bare chest and looking suddenly skeptical.

"It brings out your eyes," Galina argued. She thumbed at the fabric of the plaid shirt he had also been considering. "And I don't like this one because it's too baggy on you. It didn't look so loose on the rack at the store."

"That's why you should wear it," Maxim advised his brother. "A polo is too preppy. You're not going to a job interview."

"Yeah, you're right," Yuri agreed. He dropped the grey polo onto the coffee table without hesitation. He then slipped the oversized plaid off of the hanger.

"Why do you even ask me?" Galina crossed her arms, as Yuri slipped his arms into the sleeves of his shirt and began to do up the buttons.

"Because it's helpful to know what you think," Maxim laughed. "No guy wants to wear what his mother picks for him."

"Then how does that apply here, hmm?" Galina asked. "Considering I still buy all of your clothes because Vasily is the only one of you three who will come into the store with me?"

"But what I'd really like to know," she continued, walking over to Maxim's side with her arms still crossed. "Is how come you didn't want to go to this dance also? You could have asked someone to go with you."

"Nah," Maxim shook his head dismissively, turning determinedly back towards the television.

"Why not?" Galina pressed. "There are a lot of pretty girls in your class. What about-"

"Please stop talking," Maxim moaned, burying his face in his hands while Vasily laughed heartily at his brother's embarrassment.

Rolling her eyes, Galina turned to follow Yuri back into the bedroom that all three boys shared. The quarters were cramped, with a set up bunks against one wall and a single bed against the other, with a single dresser jammed in between them. They were used to it by now, but their chatter and antics often kept them up well past their bedtimes when they had been younger. However, now she liked to believe that it had only brought them all closer.

"So, do you think you'll be coming straight home after the dance or will you be wanting to go somewhere else?" Galina asked, sitting down at the foot of Vasily's single bed to watch as Yuri stuffed his wallet and the chain that had his house key on it into the pocket of his jeans.

"Is it alright with you if I do?" Yuri asked. He pulled a pair of fresh socks out of the top dresser drawer and then sat down on the bottom bunk across from her to slip them on his bare feet.

"Yes," Galina nodded. "So long as you find a payphone to call and let me know where you'll be. Do you have change?"

Yuri frowned. "What if I just tell you now that the plan is to go get a bite to eat after, so just expect me home an hour later, okay? I don't want to have to stop everything to call my mother."

"Stop everything?" Galina raised her eyebrows. She leaned back on her hands and regarded him carefully. "What exactly are you planning to be doing tonight?"

"Nothing," Yuri exclaimed, his pale cheeks darkening a suspicious pink. "I just don't want to have to call you, that's all. Nobody else does."

"Fine," Galina conceded, exhaling an exasperated sigh. Teenagers were a whole new experience for her, and she already knew that she certainly preferred mothering them when they were small and completely obsessed with her. Now, it seemed like every single day he was trying to distance and assert his independence from her. She knew it was a sign that she was doing her job well, but it saddened her also. She didn't know who she was outside of being a mother and wanted to hang onto her children for as long as she could.

"The school dance ends at ten, huh?" she clarified, and Yuri nodded. "Be home by 11:15 or I will search this neighbourhood for you, and I promise that you won't like that."

"I'll be home on time," Yuri promised. "You can trust me, Ma."

"I know," Galina agreed weakly. "Do you need money?" she offered, reaching into the pocket of her green cardigan for the wad of cash someone had tipped her earlier that day and she had forgotten to transfer to her wallet.

"No, I've still got ten dollars from my allowance," Yuri protested. He knew his mother often worried about finances, although she tried to hide it and make sacrifices herself so that he and his brothers never went without. However, his place as her oldest child often gave him a little more insight into his family's situation. He tried to do what he could to help his mother and rarely asked for anything.

"Well, that's not enough," Galina protested, as she held out a few folded-up bills for Yuri to take. "When you ask a girl out, you should always offer to pay. If your father had tried to skip out on the bill when we were dating, then you and I would not be here having this conversation now."

"Anna's like the first girl I've gone out with, Ma," Yuri reminded her. He accepted the cash and pulled out his wallet so that he could put it away. "I'm not going to marry her."

"Yes, well, that's what I said," Galina replied. Dmitri had been the first person to ever ask her out and though she had never expected to be married to someone like him, that is exactly what happened.

"But it's obvious to all of us that you regret it," Yuri retorted, with a knowing look.

"I've never said that," Galina said quickly, although even her tone gave her away. She had always tried not to air open hostility towards her husband in front of their boys, but she knew there was only so much she could keep from them when they all lived under the same roof.

"You don't have to," Yuri said shortly. "I can just tell." He got up and went to the closet to pull out a grey windbreaker jacket and then slipped it on.

"Well…" Galina said uncertainly, "I hope you have fun tonight." She got up from the bed and followed him out of the room as he made for the front door. A quick glance into the living room told her that Maxim and Vasily were still zonked out in front of the television and probably wouldn't even be moving for the next few hours.

"If something comes up then I promise I'll call you," Yuri assured her, as he slipped on his shoes. "But nothing will, and I will be home at 11:15 on the dot."

"You better," Galina forced a smile. "Because you know I'll worry."

"You don't have to," Yuri replied. He leaned over to kiss her cheek in farewell. "See you later, Ma."

XXX

It seemed silly to get all choked up about her son going out on his first real date to a school dance with a girl they'd all known for several years, but that's exactly what happened once Yuri left. It was probably just a cumulation of everything else that was going on with her but Galina found herself feeling emotional and more than a little lost. She tried and failed to sit back down with the other two and watch television, and when she couldn't stop fidgeting she announced she was going back downstairs to do some work. Maxim and Vasily rarely registered her leaving, but to Galina this was a very big deal.

It wasn't that she'd been clinging to her sons more than she probably should have, it was just that being with them was the only way she was able to temporarily appease the nagging fear that was constantly consuming her. Galina didn't think she had ever been more frightened or regretted her actions more in her life, not even when she'd risked prosecution to stand up to the state or been on the journey towards a new life in America. There was no escaping the truth this time that she really had done a stupid thing to very bad people. There was no telling what would come from this and the fact that nothing had happened this entire week did not make her feel any better. She thought they were just biding their time.

Dmitri was off doing whatever it was he did for them early every morning. He refused to tell her anything, but the way he returned home pale and shaky well after dark each night made is quite evident that he wasn't just carting boxes around for them anymore. She wanted to demand answers, hopeful that the truth was minor when compared with what she had been imagining. They'd all heard whispers from the home country and right in this neighbourhood, about the crimes and presence of mob activity, but until now they had only been warnings. The only thing she knew for certain was that Marina had already had the procedure to fix the deflated breast implant and was fine. She was at home and in a few days, it would be like this had never happened, but for Dmitri and Galina their problems were just beginning.

Galina blamed herself for the situation but a small defensive spark in her refused to take complete ownership for the way the mafia was now circling her family home. She'd never wanted them there. She'd have preferred keeping her head down and her boys a far distance from anyone who had the potential to make trouble or endanger the bright futures she aspired for them. Yet, it was Dmitri who had sought them out, working with them of his own accord because he thought the affiliation a promising connection. He had never intended to be indebted to them or need to beg for mercy, but Galina at least felt he should take responsibility for the fact that he had essentially invited dangerous people with welcome arms and brought them around his family. That never should have happened.

Leaning forward against the counter, Galina tightened her hands on the edge and concentrated on her breathing. She was contemplating just going back upstairs since her mind was already swimming with regrets and anxieties and she'd just gotten here. This is exactly what she had been trying to avoid all week. She wanted to be in the safe and warm confines of the apartment with her children, but she also wanted to get over herself and do what needed to be done. She didn't think she had ever been such a coward before. Revolution and adventure had once been her driving forces, but now all she cared about was being a good mother and protecting her family at all costs.

So, she forced herself to stay exactly where she was. There were meats purchased from the butcher that morning that needed to be sliced and individually frozen, and the work would not complete itself just because she'd rather be upstairs with her boys right now. She kept the lights turned off though. The lighting shining in from the street would suffice and she didn't want anyone to be able to see her from outside and know she was in here alone. In the shadowy space, Galina opened up the fridge quickly to withdraw all the meats and shut it as quickly as she could so that its brightness would not reveal her to anyone who might be watching. She might be paranoid but the 'what ifs' were becoming an obsession.

She fetched a sharp knife from the block under the counter and got to work. Forcing herself to concentrate on the task and lose herself in productivity was actual helpful. She had been making a stead slew of progress when she heard the sound of the back-door creaking and jumped. The knife felt onto the counter with a clang and Galina felt like her heart had leaped into her throat.

' _Just Dmitri'_ , she reminded herself, although she was still feeling a little shaky. Ignoring the knife, she reached for the box of plastic wrap set to her left on the counter. She was just about to pull out a sheet to cover a cut of meat when she heard voices that made her pause. There were at least three that she could detect, and they were all speaking in Russian, although from this distance she couldn't decipher what was being said. Dmitri clearly wasn't alone.

" _Hello?"_ She called out partially to know who was standing in the back of her store, but mostly she wanted to announce her presence so they'd know they weren't alone. She didn't want them to think she was spying. She didn't want them to think anything much of her at all.

Nobody answered her call, but in another instant Dmitri walked in, leading Ganya and two huge men who Galina recognized but couldn't remember the names of. Nobody spoke to her, as Dmitri opened up the door of their walk-in freezer and the interior light illuminated them all.

Ganya turned his head and pierced Galina with his ice-blue eyes with an unreadable expression on his face. His focus on her made Galina actively recoil, backing up before she could stop herself. Ganya continued to stare her down seeming entirely unimpressed.

"Put that in," he finally instructed the two big goons behind him. Slightly relieved to at least have his attention momentarily off of her, Galina watched through wide eyes as Ganya motioned to the freezer and the two other men stepped inside. They were each carrying misshapen wrapped packages.

As the other men went to work unloading their bundles into the freezer, Dmitri skidded around them and made for his wife. He didn't look well. Even in the dim lighting, Galina could detect the shine in her husband's eyes and the way he was slightly trembling. She could only imagine that something truly horrific had occurred and what was happening right now didn't seem much better. The air felt thick with secrets and sins, and the thought of those dangerous men rummaging in her freezer, bringing in parcels she sincerely doubted were the produce order she'd placed with _Neptune's_ the other day, was terrifying.

" _What's in those?"_ Galina asked in Russian, whispering so that Ganya and his men couldn't hear her.

" _You don't want to know,"_ Dmitri mumbled back in shaky Russian. He looked as though he was about to cry. He cleared his throat.

" _It's fine,"_ he switched to English, trying to sound as reassuring as he possibly could. _"This will make things right for us."_ However, his wife was not to be soothed.

" _This doesn't feel right,"_ she hissed back.

" _We're fine. We'll work it out,"_ Dmitri insisted, as the men behind him continued to unload more bundles under Ganya's watchful eye. _"I promise."_

With that, Dmitri left her side and went to follow the other men who were leaving without speaking a word. He passed Ganya, who seemed in less of a hurry to go then his comrades. The freezer door shut, wiping out the white light that had been shining on him. Yet, even in the darkness his shadowy figure was prominent.

Once again, he looked back over at her. Galina couldn't tell what he was thinking, but his stowy silence and his eyes on her made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She stood frozen in place, unsure of how to proceed. She didn't know if she should try to say something but before she could make up her mind, Ganya turned to follow his men. She was temporarily reprieved, but the chill she now felt was reminding her that safety was merely an illusion now and that she was in very hot water. Gripping the fabric of her green cardigan, Galina pulled it close as though that would warm and comfort her. She stood silently in the same spot for several long minutes until she was sure they were really gone. Then she bolted forward.

Her heart was pounding and her hand was shaking as she gripped the latch to pull open the freezer door. The cold hit her in the face and seemed to blow straight into her very bones. She didn't hesitate, for fear that she would lose her nerve. She completely believed her husband when he told her she didn't want to know, but ignorance was a bliss Galina didn't think she could afford. She needed to know what she was up against, and then maybe she could decide what to do about it. Leaving everything in her husband's hands suddenly seemed like the worst decision Galina could make. She felt like a sitting duck.

The bundles had been stored on the lowest shelf, the shelf's previous occupants had been jammed into other spaces without much care. Galina stepped into the freezer and crouched down to be on face level with the secretive parcels. She placed a hand atop the one closest to her, noting when she did that she was still wearing the gloves she'd put on to handle the meats and for which she was feeling gratified. The bundle felt soft to her surprise, it was packaged tightly, with duct tape wrapped securely around the entire thing. Galina scratched at the tape, as her eyes scanned over all the other items. They were all wrapped in the same material, but were in such various shapes that it was obvious they held different things. The one she was currently working on was broad and almost rectangular, but there were others that were long and skinny instead, and another that seemed more rounded.

"Don't touch that!" a voice yelled. Galina had just succeeded in pulling off the end of the duct tape and had been about to rip it up. Already feeling jumpy, she actually yelped at the sound when she had been so convinced she was now alone. She let go of the tape as though it were suddenly burning hot and whirled around.

"Don't do that!" she gasped, exhaling a breath of relief when she saw that it was only Dmitri behind her. He appeared to be alone now, but the twitch in his lips was maddening. Without warning he reached for her hand and yanked her roughly towards him. He pulled her out of the freezer and then slammed the door shut behind them.

"I told you not to touch them," Dmitri snapped.

"What is it?" Galina demanded. "What's going on?"

Dmitri shook his head and didn't answer. The hand gripping hers tightened even more exponentially until Galina was wriggling in his grasp, trying to free herself.

"Let go of me!" she demanded, continuing to attempt pulling her hand from his. "You're hurting me!" Dmitri looked down at their joined hands, his wife's red and squeezed with a force he hadn't realized he'd been using.

"Sorry," he muttered, as he let her go. Galina glared at him as she rubbed her reddened hand against her thigh through her skirt, trying to alleviate some of the sting.

"Dima, what is happening?" she asked hoarsely. "What are they making you do?"

Dmitri ran his twitching hand over his face and mouth. He was breathing as though he'd just run a race. His skin looked pale and sickly. His eyes shifted from side to side as he took a moment to collect himself. Galina stared expectantly back at him and waited for an answer she wouldn't let him deflect from giving.

"You have no idea the things men like that are capable of," Dmitri finally said. He sniffled as he tried and failed to fight back tears. Brushing them away with the back of his hand, he had to pause before continuing. "What they do and what I just saw. You have no idea, Galya."

"Well, then talk to me," Galina replied quietly. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited expectantly.

Dmitri sniffled. "Do you really want to know what's in there?" he asked seriously, and sucked in his breath when his wife slowly but determinedly nodded her head 'yes'.

"It's a body, Galina," he said flatly, saying the truth out loud made him feel like he had once again been doused with cold water. He'd been alternating between phases of numbness and stabbing pain since that morning.

"It's cut up," Dmitri continued. "Ganya made those two men you just saw chop the body up after they shot him so that it could be carried through the streets without arousing any suspicion. They killed him this morning."

"Why?" Galina gasped.

"I don't know, honey," Dmitri shook his head, he was actively sobbing now. "He must have crossed Ganya in some way. Ganya, is a man you don't want to get on the bad side of."

"But we are," Galina whispered, tears burning in the corners of her eyes.

"No," Dmitri shook his head. He reached out for his wife's hand and squeezed it, this time gently. "No, honey, we're okay. I promise you. Ganya is fine with us, so long as we keep doing what he says…"

"But we can't do this," Galina insisted. "He murdered a person. Dmitri, we have to do something. We should tell the police."

"Who do you think they'll blame?" Dmitri demanded. "The body is in our freezer. My fingerprints are on the body. Do you want me to go to prison? Forget prison, Ganya would kill us all at the first hint of betrayal. And you just touched the wrappings!"

"With gloves," Galina muttered, looking down at her hands and pulling them off of her hands so they were bare. She tossed them onto the counter and then looked over at him with glossy eyes. "So, we don't do anything?"

"There's nothing we can do," Dmitri reminded her. "Not unless you want us to find ourselves chopped up in some stranger's freezer somewhere. And the boys-"

"I know, I know," Galina stammered, turning away from him. Her arms wrapped around her body as though to hug herself. She took a couple quick breaths and then looked back at her husband in alarm.

"The boys!" she said frantically. "Maxim and Vasily are safe upstairs but Yuri went out, and I told him he could stay out until late."

"Galina, he's fine," Dmitri said quickly. "Don't think that way. You'll drive yourself crazy-"

"Well, then how am I supposed to think?" Galina asked back. "You tell me all this and I'm just supposed to pretend that it's fine, and just go about business as usual?"

"That's exactly what we have to do," Dmitri replied. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close until they were eye-to-eye. "Listen to me, Galya. There is nobody in this entire world that you can trust, besides me. I'm going to keep us safe. We're going to be fine. Ganya knows that he can trust me. I just need you to do the same."

"I do," Galina nodded her head. She knew she didn't have much choice not to anyway. Leaning forward she leaned her forehead against his chest momentarily. Then she looked back at her husband and brushed her lips against his. She wasn't kissing him right now because he was insisting on it, but because she wanted to. Such desire had become such an extinct concept to her but right now it felt oddly right. Dmitri was her husband and now he was officially her partner in crime.

 **Thank you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

Despite the unfathomable darkness of their predicament, Galina learned pretty quickly how to do mental gymnastics in order to maintain a sense of normalcy for herself and the family. Routine was of the essence. Keeping busy and running things to the best of her ability was a continual reminder that nothing really had changed or needed to be different.

After all, it wasn't like the mafia's usage of her freezer was the cause of these horrific crimes. Galina reminded herself every morning when she woke up and every night before she went to bed that these deaths had been occurring in her neighbourhood all along, and her new insight did not make her responsible for them. She hadn't killed anyone, but refusing to cooperate would undoubtedly bring down a rain of violence upon herself and her loved ones. Guilt was for people who had choices, which was certainly not the case here anymore.

This perspective made it easier for Galina to turn a blind eye whenever Ganya's cronies made their regular visits to the shop to remove and deliver, usually well after dark. Dmitri would usher them in and out with an efficiency and professionalism she would have never thought him capable. It was a relief to see them carting out their "packages" but they were nearly always replaced with another shipment Galina forced herself to try and ignore.

She didn't want to think about how many victims had passed through her store or the reasons why these terrible things kept happening. Ganya must have a lot of enemies and the indifference with which they were disposed of, as though they were nothing more than spoiled produce, reaffirmed over-and-over again just what a dangerous man he was. He was not somebody Galina would ever be foolish enough to anger again, and she trained herself to not even look at the shelves in the freezer he now utilized so that so could push these troubling thoughts to the far back recesses of her mind. She'd learned a hard lesson and knew now that some secrets were really best kept that way.

As autumn turned into winter and preparations for Christmas served as another blissful distraction, Galina could find herself feeling happy again. Like she did every year, the day after Thanksgiving, Galina threw herself into the holiday festivities. She decorated her store in Christmas colours of red, green, and gold and two weeks before the big day, the entire family went to pick out their tree. Although they were getting older, the boys still loved hanging their personalized ornaments with their mother. Of course, baking and feasting were always a large component of their family Christmas and Galina always somehow managed to afford to get each son something he really wanted to open on the day.

All the important stuff had remained the same and some things had even improved. The store was operating smoothly, while her husband continued to slowly chip away at their debt through the more complicated factions of Neptune's Produce. Dmitri worked long hours to assist with operations and had even started to be included in Ganya's business planning discussions. His value to the man was increasing and the Reznikovs' had earned Ganya's respect with their silence. Things seemed to be going their way, but both Dmitri and Galina still held out hope that they'd someday be able to return to their safe and simple life.

XXX

It was a few days after Christmas and before she reopened the store from the holidays, Galina always did a serious deep clean of the place. The boys, still on their school break, were always recruited to help and with the four of them working together the job never took more than a day. As Vasily worked at taking everything off the shelves so they could be wiped down and replaced, Yuri was at his side counting up all the inventory so that Galina could make sure her numbers added up. Maxim had been assigned the task of taking down all their festive decorations and packing them away for next year, and when that was completed he began repairing a wobbly table and polishing the furniture. Galina had spent half of the day on her hands and knees, cleaning out the stove and other appliances with a homemade cleaner that made the entire place smell like green apples, and then she started on the windows.

Outside was a winter wonderland, with the bright sunlight gleaming on the snow making things even more appealing. The boys could hardly wait to get out and enjoy it, so they worked efficiently but without rushing. They knew they had to complete their chores before the day could be theirs and part of that required doing them to meet their mother's high, but not unreasonable, standards.

All three of them had received much coveted snowboards from their parents. There was a steep hill in the park that would be perfect to fly down on such a day, and Maxim and Vasily were going to head there together as soon as they were allowed. Yuri had opted out, instead planning to go pick up Anna and take her skating. He had been seeing her regularly ever since the school dance.

"There's your father," Galina announced, pausing mid-spritz, she gave her husband a sympathetic smile through the glass window as he walked with his head down towards the shop. She set her spray bottle and cloth down, and hurried towards the door to open it for him.

Dmitri hadn't come home at all last night, nor had he called to say where he was. Such behaviour had become typical fare for him and Galina never complained because she strongly suspected waiting at home was less burdensome than being with Ganya, doing whatever it was they were doing. Buried beneath a heavy black coat and grey hat and scarf, the only part of Dmitri visible was his face, which was turned red from the cold.

"Hello," Galina greeted him softly. She wrapped her arm around his back and leaned forward to kiss his cool lips in greeting. They lingered for a long pause. Dmitri placing both his gloved hands around her waist as he kissed her back. Galina waited for him to pull back first.

"Tired?" Galina, asked, reaching up to pluck the hat from his balding head. She then slipped the scarf off of his neck and held her hand out so he could pass her his coat once he shrugged out of it.

"You can't even imagine," Dmitri replied, stomping on the mat hard to shake the excess snow from his boots. He then trudged over to the first chair at the table and sank down heavily into it.

Galina refrained from commenting as she quietly hung up his stuff for him and then went back to carry his boots over to rack where they wouldn't create anymore puddles on the floor. Her feelings towards her husband had never been more complicated than they were right now. Dmitri still took her for granted and was incapable of considering the feelings of anyone other than himself for very long, but Galina couldn't call him lazy or say he was useless to her anymore. She was dependent on him right now, a fact she was frustrated and grateful about. She really didn't know what she would have done these past few months without her husband. All that Dmitri lacked for her, suddenly was overlooked by what he was doing. So, Galina swallowed her annoyance about all the things he did that irritated her and demonstrated her appreciation through little acts of caring whenever they were together. Although they didn't know the reasons, their sons saw the different in their parents' marriage and were thankful for it.

"Why didn't you come home last night, Pop?" Maxim asked, as he paused in polishing the seat of the chair across from him.

"Yeah, where were you?" Yuri demanded, coming closer to the table with his arms crossed.

"Shush," Galina hushed them. "Your father was at work all night, you know that, and he just sat down. Are you finished doing the counts, Yuri?"

"Nearly," Yuri mumbled.

"Well hurry it up, and then you can go meet your girlfriend," Galina told him sternly.

"I haven't asked her to be my girlfriend yet," Yuri replied, rolling his eyes as he walked back over to the shelves. "We're just hanging out."

"Well, I don't know why anyone would take a girl to a skating rink, just the two of them, if they weren't dating," Galina replied. "You've seen her every single day this week."

As the three boys returned to their tasks, Dmitri leaned back in his chair and pulled a thick folded envelope from his pants pocket. Glancing over his shoulder at their sons first, Dmitri then reached forward to tuck it into the pocket of his wife's apron. She glanced down in surprise when she felt its weight and then back at her husband with questioning eyes.

"Put that in the safe, Galya," Dmitri instructed her in a hushed tone. "And don't let them see."

Galina slipped her hand into the pocket of her apron and frowned at the thick bundle inside. She did as he said though, walking into the back room as inconspicuous as possible. The room had once served as a small makeshift nap and playroom when her children had been little, but in recent years she had turned it into an office for herself. It was certainly more peaceful to do her bookkeeping and orders at a desk in a quiet room off the shop, instead of in the chaotic apartment with three lively boys always around. The safe was kept in the office too, beside the desk. Galina knelt down and turned the combination to unlock it. She pulled Dmitri's envelope out of her apron but before she put it inside she couldn't resist sneaking a peak at its contents.

It was cash. Crisp bills of twenty- and fifty-dollar increments that she imagined rounded up to approximately two or three thousand dollars. Not a fortune to some perhaps, but to Galina Reznikov that was a lot of money. She was confused as to why Dmitri would have this on him. She hardly doubted Ganya would have been so generous as to give Dmitri a Christmas bonus. He wasn't supposed to be earning anything for his work. It was all to go to paying Ganya back.

"Galina, is there coffee?" Dmitri called in Russian from the next room. Refraining from rolling her eyes, Galina placed the envelope in the back of the safe and then locked it up. She reached a hand up to use the edge of her desk to support herself as she slowly stood up. Then she walked back into the main room.

Dmitri hadn't moved. Still seated at the table, while Yuri and Vasily finished restocking the shelves together and Maxim had moved on to finish cleaning the windows his mother had started. Galina walked around the counter and picked up the half full coffee pot from this morning. She dumped its contents down the sink so that she could make Dmitri a fresh pot.

"What's for lunch?" Dmitri asked.

"We already ate," Galina replied, turning around to face him while she waited for the coffee to be made. "I didn't know if or when to expect you." She met his eyes and then sighed, relenting. "What would you like?"

"A sandwich?" Dmitri suggested. Then he frowned and held up a hand. "On second thought, would you make me an omelette?"

"An omelette?" Galina questioned.

"A western omelette," Dmitri nodded assertively. "I haven't been home for breakfast in awhile. And can you put some cheese in there too?"

Galina didn't answer him. She just went to the fridge to pull out the carton of eggs and the other ingredients that she would need. As she cooked on the stove, Galina's mind drifted back to wondering just why Dmitri had come home with so much cash. Such a thing had never happened before and anything out of the ordinary was a threat to her contentment, just as soon as she began to relax in their current situation. As soon as the western omelette was prepared and set in front of her husband, along with the cup of coffee fixed with the exact amount of cream and sugar he preferred, Galina turned to her sons.

"I think you boys have done enough," she told them.

"Mama, I'm not quite finished with the bottom shelf... _ow_!" Vasily yelped, just as Yuri stepped on his foot to shut him up.

"That's alright," Galina told him, while she fixed Yuri with a stern look. "I can take over from here. Why don't you three go out and enjoy the snow for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Alright!" Vasily cheered. He tossed the damp rag he'd been using to wipe down the shelves up onto the counter and then turned to Maxim, who had wiped off a final smudge before stepping back from the window. "Let's go, Max."

"So, you two are going to be at the hill?" Galina confirmed, as Vasily and Maxim made for the door. She knew the exact hill they were going to well. It was only a couple of minutes from their street, steep enough to appeal to teenagers, and when they were younger she had gone tobogganing with them there.

"Yeah, we just have to run upstairs and get our boards," Maxim replied.

"Will you grab my skates for me?" Yuri asked him. "I need to make a call."

"Make sure you dress warmly," Galina reminded them. "Your snow pants, gloves, scarves-don't you dare let me see either of you trying to head out without a hat on."

"We know, Mama," Vasily replied, walking over to give her a hug. Galina squeezed Vasily tightly in her arms as she looked over the top of his head at Maxim.

"Watch out for your little brother," she told him. "Don't let him do any foolish stunts. I don't want any injuries."

"I know, Ma," Maxim sighed. "Can we go now?"

Galina nodded, releasing Vasily so that he could head out the door with his brother. Yuri had gone into the office to call Anna on the telephone and now he came out ready to go as well.

"I'm going to meet Anna at the rink," he told his parents, slipping a black toque on his hand. He then reached into the pockets of his winter jacket to come out with his gloves.

"Whose Anna?" Dmitri asked, through a mouthful of egg.

"Girl from the neighbourhood," Galina rolled her eyes. "She and Yuri have been in the same class since kindergarten." She turned back to her son. "What time will you be back?"

"Not late," Yuri replied. "But is it okay if I don't come home for supper? We'll just grab something after the rink, I've got enough to buy for us both."

"That's fine," Galina replied, with a small smile. As she looked him up and down. "You need a scarf though."

"Ma…." Yuri sighed, though he knew it was hopeless. He watched his mother retrieve his father's grey scarf from the hook and he allowed her to tie it carefully around his throat.

"That's better," she told him, patting his shoulder affectionately before stepping back. Yuri bid both of his parents' goodbye and then walked out of the store, just as his brothers were coming down the stairs from their upstairs apartment. Galina could see they had followed her instructions and dressed appropriately for play in the snow. They were each brandishing their new boards under an arm and Maxim handed Yuri his skates when they reached the bottom.

"We're lucky they get along as well as they do," Galina said, coming away from the window once the boys had walked out of her line of vision. "They're friends as well as brothers."

"Uh huh," Dmitri murmured. He held out his mug up and shook it slightly. "Will you get me some more coffee?"

"Will you tell me why you came home with three thousand dollars?" Galina retorted, turning her back to go retrieve the pot of coffee from the burner.

"It's twenty-five hundred," Dmitri replied, as if that made a difference.

"Whatever," Galina replied. "What are you doing with it?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly as she refilled his cup for him. Then she passed him the sugar and cream that was set on the counter.

"It's no big deal," Dmitri said, adding a heaping teaspoon of sugar to his coffee. "Ganya just needs us to hang on to it for a little while."

"Why?" asked Galina, frowning as she felt a shiver crawl up her spine. Her hand holding the coffee pot shook dangerously, so she went to set it back down on the burner before she dropped it.

"It's just temporary," Dmitri replied, when she'd returned from putting the coffee away, and sat down in the chair beside him. "On Monday, when you go to the bank to make our usual deposit for the store, you're going to mix Ganya's money in with our own-if anyone asks you why it's a couple thousand more than we usually make, you tell them that we did exceptionally well business over Christmas."

Galina bit her tongue as she considered what he was going to have her do. Of course, it was fraudulent but her primary concern was drawing attention to herself by claiming to have earned more than twice what she usually made in a week. She didn't care where or how Ganya had accumulated this cash, she just didn't want to get involved in a scheme that could get her into trouble. So far, her involvement in Ganya's business had been that of a silent accessory. This would be the first time she would actually be lying and carrying out a crime directly.

"Is this a one-time thing?" she asked, already guessing the correct answer.

"I doubt it," Dmitri replied, giving her a piercing stare.

"I'm uncomfortable with this," she admitted, reaching back to tighten the ponytail her long red hair was pulled back in, just to give her hands something to do. "It seems too risky. What if I get caught?"

"You won't," Dmitri replied confidently. "Nobody is going to look twice at you unless you give them a reason to. Just act natural."

Galina swallowed a lump in her throat, looking worried. However, it wasn't the illicit transaction itself that bothered her. If she'd managed to block out thoughts of the bodies hidden in the walk-in, then money fraud was hardly on her radar. She didn't really care how Ganya amassed his fortune, or even about playing a role in the deception so that she could pay off her debt more quickly. The only thing about the whole criminal element that concerned her was getting caught. She had no moral dilemma on her mind aside from the consequences.

"There's no real choice in the matter, Galya," Dmitri reminded her gently. "So, don't overthink it."

Galina squinted at him as the ramification of his words hit her. "Well…" she said after a moment's pause. "I am going to have to overthink it a little bit. I mean, somebody has to."

Dmitri frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Galina said slowly. "That there's no doubt in my mind that the bank will get suspicious if we start doubling our income with no concrete explanation as to why. They're trained to sniff out unusual transactions all the time. Do you think Ganya is the first person who has tried to get something like this past them?"

"Ganya does get around them," Dmitri replied. "He does this sort of thing all the time."

"But he hasn't with us," Galina retorted. "It just seems common sense to me that a tiny shop that nearly closes every week, suddenly can't double their sales without arousing suspicion. Ganya's never seen our books, so how is he to know unless we tell him?"

"You want me to tell Ganya he's overreaching?" Dmitri said incredulously, his eyes popping out in astonishment. "That my wife knows business better than he does?"

"Well, perhaps work on your delivery a little bit first," Galina replied, scratching the palm of her left hand with the nails on her right. "I'm not claiming to be an expert at criminal interactions, but if Ganya is going to turn our store into a cover-up for fraud, well then I'd at least prefer to take every precaution."

Dmitri didn't have a response to that, but it was obvious he found the idea of suggesting his boss was making a mistake to be intimidating. Galina, on the other hand, leaned back in her chair feeling at least a little more in control of the situation than she had when Dmitri had first handed her the large sum of money. There was no getting out of what Ganya and Dmitri had instructed her to do, and she had every intention of following through with a trip to the bank. She was just going to be smart about it.

"How is this going to help Ganya out anyway?" Galina asked quietly. "He's having me pass it off as our own proceeds. How is he going to get it back?"

"Oh, he said he'll just bill us a lot more on our next produce order," Dmitri replied simply.

"What?" Galina asked, looking confused.

"Well," Dmitri shrugged. "If we're going to make it look like our sales have increased, then it makes sense we'd need to place a larger standing order from Neptune's. We just have to tweak the books so we have the paperwork to support that."

"You mean I have to," Galina snapped. "When have you ever seen our cheque book?"

She sighed. What Ganya was really conspiring to turn their store into was a front for _money laundering._ By mixing profits from his underground economy through legitimate businesses like _Dmitri's Russian Market_ and _Neptune's Produce_ , Ganya would be able to appear to make an honest living. Galina wondered if he had made other small companies handle his corrupt business for him, or if she was the first to be stupid enough to end up in this situation. She sniffled slightly as she glanced wistfully around her small store. She had worked so hard and been so proud to make it what it was, especially with the complications of being a new immigrant and a young mother. Never in a million years would she have imagined it becoming a front for the Russian mafia.

"Remember when we first opened this place?" she asked, reaching her hand across the table to grasp her husband's. "Who would have guessed that it would come to this…"

"We made our bed," Dmitri reminded her, leaning over to kiss her temple while she nodded her head in complacency. There was no backing out now or wishing they could change things that couldn't be fixed. There were corpses on the premises and illegal money stowed away in the safe. They certainly had made their bed and now the only way forward was to cooperate.

XXX

When Monday arrived, Galina woke up bright and early to begin the same routine she always followed. She roused her sleeping boys and then began making breakfast, while they got dressed for school and then staggered into the kitchen to join her one-by-one. They were out the door in plenty of time to make it to school on time, and then Galina hurried to get herself ready and then rush downstairs to open up the store.

Intent on keeping her mind occupied, Galina was grateful that her first morning reopening after the Christmas holidays was a flurry of customers and a mounting to-do list to distract herself with. However, it passed all too soon and, before she knew it, it was time to close up for her lunch break and head over to the bank like she always did.

It was snowing that afternoon. Galina kept her head down against the chill and concentrated on the markings her boots made as she walked through the fresh powder. The air was crisp but felt healthy and fresh in her lungs. It was a beautiful day, and under different circumstances she knew she would have appreciated it more. Being Russian, she was no stranger to the cold and dressed smartly in a heavy red coat, with matching gloves, hat, and a scarf, she was well protected against the elements anyway.

Nonetheless, it was pleasant to enter the warmth of the bank and feel the indoor temperature's contrasting burn against her frigid cheeks. Galina pressed her purse more tightly against her side, as she waited in line for her turn. Her heart started beating with rapid intensity the moment she'd stepped indoors, and she was surprised its pounding couldn't be heard through the multiple layers of clothing she was wearing. She rubbed her fist over the hammering muscle, doing her best to appear inconspicuous while she waited in line, for the bank teller to call her over by name.

Galina raised her eyes and was relieved to see that it was a teller, Isobel, who had become something of a familiar acquaintance over the years. It certainly simplified things from her end. Galina passed Isobel her bank card and inquired about the woman's two daughters as she handed her the cash that was to be deposited into her account. Isobel chatted animatedly with her while she processed the transaction without even blinking at the larger than usual amount.

Mrs. Reznikov had been a respected figure in the community for several years. Always polite, if on the more serious side, she had been coming into the bank to do business since the days she'd been pushing a stroller and carrying a third child on her hip. A smart woman who worked hard and seemed completely focused on her sons, anyone who looked at her larger deposit would just assume that Christmas had been especially profitable that year. There was no reason to suspect anything different, which was exactly what Ganya had been counting on.

Still, it was a relief to wish the bank teller good day and get back outside without the illicit funds in her handbag. With the wind at her back, instead of in her face, Galina walked with her chin up and a confidence she'd sorely been lacking a few minutes ago. All had gone as smoothly as one could have hoped, and she had to admit that the act had given her something of a daring thrill which she hadn't experienced in a very long time. She walked home with a bounce in her step that hadn't been there before, thinking about the Vatrushka she was craving and would have to bake a batch of just as soon as she got inside.

Yet, when she got to the door she saw through the glass that the space was already occupied. Dmitri had come home and accompanying him was a group of other men who were all crowded around the round table. As she slowly turned her key in the door, Galina did a headcount and saw that Ganya was seated at the table too. All eyes were focused completely on him, as he addressed his men, and Galina slowly opened the door and hoped to slip past them undetected. As soon as she entered the room, however, Ganya turned his sharp gaze onto her. She stared back unblinkingly at him, but when Ganya's face broke out into a smile she forgot for a second that she was supposed to be nervous.

"Hello," she greeted all the men, as she gazed back into Ganya's eyes. She hadn't seen him in person since the night she'd watched him overseeing the bodies being laid in her freezer. He hadn't spoken anything to her at that time, although he'd looked at her in the same peculiar way he was now, which made her feel like she was being x-rayed. Despite the promising smile etched on his lips, Galina had no idea what the man was really thinking.

"I'm very glad to see you," Ganya told her, his eyes twinkling. "Your husband said you'd gone to the bank?"

"Yes," Galina nodded. She slipped off one of her gloves and reached up for the collar of her jacket, but made no other movement to unbutton it. Ganya was still staring at her expectantly and she had no idea what she was supposed to say next.

"And?" Ganya pressed, shaking his head in a jerk of impatience as he folded his hands together. "Are you going to tell me how it went?"

"It was fine," Galina stammered, a flush spreading across her cheeks which made her grateful for the rouging from the cold. "No problems."

Ganya nodded his head approvingly. "I knew there wouldn't be," he said knowingly, as he suddenly leaped up from his chair with the agility of a much younger man. He dropped his hand heavily down on Dmitri's shoulder as he passed him. Dmitri involuntarily flinched at the touch as he remained stooped over the table, resembling something of a stout gargoyle.

"Your husband didn't believe you could handle this sort of thing," Ganya told her in Russian, a flicker of amusement in his tone. "But I told him you were probably a much more capable woman than he wants to give you credit for. And I was right? Wasn't I? You went to the bank for me with no issues."

He glared down at Dmitri, while still gripping his shoulder tightly in his pale hand. "Do you see now, Reznikov?" he asked him sharply. "Sometimes women can be trusted to do important jobs like this. Women are very clever creatures. Sometimes they even have better ideas than us men. Do you believe that, Galina?"

Galina shrugged her shoulders hesitantly, having no idea where the man was going with his speech. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say," she replied honestly.

"No?" Ganya blinked, looking astonished. "But you had a lot to say the other day to your husband, didn't you? About how the transaction was too risky."

"I deposited the full sum in its entirety," Galina informed him, focusing on keeping her voice level and even as she spoke. "My only concern was that if I tried to do that again, without the excuse of Christmas, the bank might ask awkward questions about why the amount was suddenly so high. I'm happy to continue...helping. I just think we should increase the number a bit more gradually."

Ganya nodded. "Slow and steady. That's very smart." Her stared down at Dmitri. "See? I told you that you had a smart wife. Sometimes that's better than marrying them for looks-it lasts longer." Her turned back to Galina, who had quietly begun unbuttoning her coat despite feeling more chilled to the bone than ever.

"Why don't you take me into your office?" Ganya asked, although Galina knew it was obviously an order and not a suggestion. "I want to show you what we're going to do next. You're going to have a very important role."

"Okay," Galina nodded. She hung her coat up on the rack by the door and then stepped slowly forward, motioning with her arm towards the back. "It's through here."

She led the way, listening the stomp of Ganya's boots on the floorboards as he followed her. She was highly sensitive to the weight of his eyes on her back. They went into the office, and Galina caught a last glance of Dmitri sitting silently at the table with the other men, before the door was closed tight behind them. Ganya gave her another peculiar smile as he stepped behind the desk and sat down in her chair with purposeful authority.

"So, slow and steady," he murmured. Glancing back up at Galina with twinkling eyes, as she stood still with her hands held together. "Is that how you like it?"

"I think it makes sense in this situation," Galina replied quietly. Goosebumps pricked her skin and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up with flight. The smoothness of the way Ganya was talking, so in control and so powerful. It was both terrifying and a little enticing. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be that commanding and formidable, able to intimidate others with nothing more than a look or a couple of carefully placed words. Were people born like that or were they made? She never could envision herself being that fierce.

"It will take longer, obviously," Ganya replied, as he began opening the doors of her desk and perusing the contents inside without shame. "But so long as there's progress then I am okay with that. Are you?"

"I don't want to take any unnecessary risks," Galina replied quietly. And then as a bid to appeal to his more human side, she added. "I have three sons that need me. I'll do what I have to do but I want to be careful…"

"Nothing in this life is guaranteed," Ganya told her coyly. "And when a person allows themselves to be ruled by their emotions and do reckless things...well, then they can find themselves in all kinds of trouble. It surprises me now, to be honest, that I'm speaking with you. You seem too clever to get yourself into such unnecessary predicaments. Too bad you weren't thinking of your sons back when you lost me a whole lot of money."

He was thumbing through a drawer of files before he found the one he had apparently been searching for. Under "N" he'd found the meticulous paperwork Galina had maintained for transactions with his own business. It was Dmitri who had enticed her to use them as their produce supplier. Stressing the importance of making this connection and how good it would be for them. Now, Galina stared down at that folder and felt a gulp of bile rise up in her throat.

"Don't be nervous," Ganya chuckled, motioning her closer with a wave of his hand. "Come over here so that I can show you what we're going to do. Do I make you nervous? You don't have to be. I know your husband is scared of me but something tells me that you're made tougher than he is."

"What are we going to do?" Galina asked, walking over to stand by his side. A smirk was teasing over her lips at Ganya's taunting of Dmitri. Although she wouldn't insult her husband under these circumstances, when she really should be trying to build him up, it was sort of nice to be acknowledged.

"So, you have my money," Ganya told her, "And now you need to give it back. Legitimately. It's all about the books."

"Okay," Galina nodded. Squinting at the print as he opened up the folder to thumb through the pages of receipts his company had billed her over the years. Not for the first time, she was struck with the notion that she really should see about getting herself a pair of glasses. Trying to read anything up close was like trying to pull letters out of a cloudy blur.

"You can decide how much you want to do at a time," Ganya replied. "I'll be patient. Just when you do your weekly order with me, you're going to multiply the amount of what you really want so that I can charge you for your produce order and get a little bit of my money back. When I get my 1500 dollars, we'll repeat the process. Sound easy enough?"

"Yes," Galina affirmed, feeling her stomach tangle into a tightly clenched knot. "And I suppose I should just add a few extra transactions to the end of day sales totals, so the money you give me to deposit will add up? I can't meddle much with the store inventory, but I can show an increase in food and drink sales."

"See, I knew you were smart," Ganya praised her. "I'm tired of sitting around with all those men out there, including your husband. They never have good ideas and they always want to just go along with my business plans without even thinking critically about them, like you did. I appreciate your conscientiousness, Galina."

"Thank you," Galina said softly.

"No, thank you," Ganya replied, standing up and brushing his hand over her shoulder, much more gently than the way he had gripped Dmitri before. "I'll be around, so you can ask me anything you're unclear of."

"Okay," Galina nodded, mindlessly rubbing her hand against her belly in a bid to unknot her anxious stomach.

"And don't be a stranger," Ganya added, with a wink. "I like hearing what you have to say."

 **Thank you for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Lines in Italics were spoken on the show. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy.**

Having generally always considered herself as someone who wanted to change the world for the better, it was pretty shocking for Galina to discover just how quickly she could settle into a life of self-interested crime. Unlike when she'd produced illegal jeans in Russia as an act of rebellion against a stringent regime, this time there was no noble cause Galina could claim she was championing. Unless, of course, you counted the security and prosperity of her family, which was the only thing that really mattered now. As a mother, Galina still wanted to believe she was making the right choices for them.

However, right or wrong, good or bad, Galina couldn't deny to herself that the idea of being a part of this conspiracy gave her the same familiar thrill she had experienced when undermining the government in her home country. She'd been so complacent in a life of servitude to her husband and sons for so many years that she did derive a bit of pleasure from doing something that felt so daring. Stepping out of her comfort zone as a well-behaved and traditional woman, Galina couldn't deny that Ganya had ignited in her a validation for being noticed for her intelligence and business contributions. Dmitri just wanted her to keep quiet and do as he said, but now a spark had been lit within her and Galina wanted to show them all how much she was actually capable of.

She was still on the outside though. The docile and submissive wife of Dmitri who had poured all the men their coffee when they'd crowded into her store that frigid afternoon, and then kept well out of the way. Seen but not heard. Only acknowledged when they wanted her to fetch something for them or clean up a spill.

As much as Ganya impressed and fascinated her, Galina was still intimidated by him. He'd been polite to her but she also knew he had done terrible things and wouldn't hesitate to harm anybody who got in his way. He commanded the attention of all the men he'd brought with him as he spoke in a quiet voice that shifted between English and Russian seamlessly and seemed to exude danger despite sounding very calm.

Ganya talked as though he had nothing to hide. He paid no mind to the steady flow of customers who had decided to brave the cold to do their shopping, but continued to discuss his illegal dealings quite inconspicuously as patrons passed his table, made small-talk with Galina, and left with their purchases. It was part of Ganya's brilliance. Act like you have nothing to hide and nobody will suspect a thing.

The only person who was really concentrating on the men seated at the round table was Galina herself. She'd barely spoken a word to them all day and for all the notice they took of her, she may as well have not even have been present. Yet, the private word Ganya had shared with her in her office several weeks ago was still weighing heavily on her mind. She wondered what the response would have been should she have pulled up a chair and simply joined them, something she hadn't been able to muster up the courage to try yet. There probably would have been outrage, particularly from her husband who liked her to stay it her place, but Ganya had all but invited her. And, listening in to the conversation he was having with his regular cronies now, Galina couldn't say she'd blamed him.

The atmosphere at the table was somber. None of the men seemed to be in good spirits or very chatty moods. They sat silently, their hands twitching as they brought their coffee and sweets to their lips and exchanged nervous glances with one another when Ganya wasn't looking. Their boss was lost in his own thoughts, forlorn about his own business misfortune, and none of them knew what to say to him. The men were all to fearful about saying the wrong thing to offer up anything of use. It was the prime inadequacy that Ganya had complained to Galina about, and why he'd said he'd like to hear more from her. She'd already proven herself a smarter asset than her husband.

" _I have eighty crates of tomatoes rotting in a Bensonhurst warehouse. Eighty. I lower prices, our competition lowers prices. And like this Neptune's has lost three restaurants in three weeks,"_ Ganya said, waving his hands around dramatically to emphasise the gravitas of this situation.

"Thank you very much," Galina said with a pleasant smile. She passed a bag over the counter to a young woman with long blonde hair. "Try to stay warm."

She motioned to the windows which were frozen over from the frigid air. It had been too cold that week for even snow to fall. What lay on the ground was as hard as a block of ice. You couldn't even scrape up enough of it to mold into an adequate snowball, which was something Yuri, Maxim, and Vasily had been complaining about for days. February had taken away the initial excitement of snow and holidays. Now there was not much else to do besides wait for spring to arrive.

As the woman made her exit, momentarily letting in the harsh wind from outdoors, Galina glanced over at the table the men had been occupying for a couple of hours now and sighed. Ganya seemed to be growing increasingly agitated as the meeting wore on and she was nervous about being in his proximity if he let his well-known temper fly. She knew her husband felt the same way.

" _The men who run these restaurants, maybe we meet with them, maybe you make deal to bid the lowest,"_ Dmitri suggested, hunched over the table with his eyes focused intently on Ganya. He wanted so much to be noticed by the formidable man, to be considered higher and more respected than the other mafia goons he was currently grouped in with.

Behind him, Galina rolled her eyes, as she reached for the coffee pot so that she could go offer them all a refill. It shouldn't have bothered her, but lately she'd become more and more irritated by the little sexist remarks that slipped out of her husband's mouth regularly. It annoyed her to hear him say the men ran the restaurants, when she couldn't help but wonder if they too had wives who did everything for the place while they sat around like lumps filled with self-importance.

 _Dmitri's Russian Market_ , Dmitri's name was on the sign but that was all that he really contributed. It was his wife who put the time, effort, and intelligence into making them what they were, but since they were married and she'd taken his name, everything she did was an extension of him. Dmitri had no issue with taking credit for her accomplishments. It was why Ganya's acknowledgement had made her feel so validated. She knew as a woman that Ganya considered her beneath him, but he had nonetheless been able to see past her being Mrs. Dmitri Reznikov to recognize that she was the one with the potential to make things happen. She was of more use to him than her husband, and one thing Ganya was undoubtedly skilled in was the art of using people.

" _It's not about the prices, it's about the books,"_ Ganya replied, speaking as though he were addressing someone very slow, which was understandable considering the circumstances. After all, their entire life had become about the books. Dmitri and Galina discussed them almost every night, whispering their concerns back and forth while their unsuspecting sons lay sleeping innocently in the next room.

The criminal component of their books was easy to overlook as Galina fell into a routine that felt like just a normal aspect of her business. She made deposits of Ganya's money in amounts that she was comfortable with and altered her records as he instructed. She was basically becoming an expert in the art of money laundering and at wielding it so naturally into her own store's business that she didn't think anyone could suspect a thing. Her confidence in herself was growing, but it didn't surprise her that Dmitri didn't understand.

He had promised to handle things and make them alright for her, but her involvement had become more steadily pronounced in a way he disapproved of. Dmitri didn't want Ganya speaking to her alone and he wanted his wife kept out of the know as much as was possible, which was becoming less and less likely. The cash that Ganya had flowing in and out of Dmitri's Russian Market was something he had little interest in discussing with Dmitri himself. Ganya always went straight to Galina, the one who he trusted to know what she was doing. And although he was forcing her to commit crimes, Ganya's faith in her is something she took a lot of pride in.

" _Right,"_ Dmitri nodded, though it was obvious his comprehension of the business was limited. It was partially why he had always left the management of his own store entirely in his wife's hands.

" _We have to move product regularly. Then, and only then, we can explain other income,"_ Ganya continued to explain. A large part of being successful in the underground economy was ensuring that their legitimate and legal business was flourishing. Just as Ganya was using the Reznikovs' store, he was also using his own large business, _Neptune's Produce_ , to disguise his illegal dealings. So, if Neptune's was beginning to struggle it meant the whole operation was in jeopardy.

As Galina silently leaned over the table to pour coffee into her husband's cup, she observed the way all the men were nodding their heads in agreement. They reminded her of mindless sheep all sitting there with their blank and complacent expressions. No wonder Ganya complained that they were basically employed "yes, men" who rarely contributed anything substantive. They were all too afraid of contradicting him to really ever have anything useful to contribute.

" _Maybe you're not thinking big enough,"_ Galina said, finally vocalizing the idea that had been building in her all afternoon. She could feel a shiver crawl up her back as all eyes turned upon her. The only person's face she really was paying attention to though, was Ganya's. After raising his almost invisible eyebrows in initial surprise, his expression had become unreadable, though it was obvious she had his full attention. Galina gripped the coffee pot a little more tightly in her hand and found the courage to keep going.

" _Restaurants come and go, yes? Look at this place. Every week we almost close. But not schools. Not hospitals."_

" _Galina-"_ her husband tried to silence her, but Galina stepped more forward and continued to speak. Now that she had found her voice and confidence, she was not about to have him take them. She knew more than he did.

" _All I'm saying is, you get something big, something steady, like the Italians have with the garbage, then you're not out chasing bids. My father, he sold candy out of a box. Every day, up and down the street. He walked so much he wore holes in his shoes. Until one day, he passed by an army base, right after the soldiers' lunchtime. And he realized that all he had to do was stand there and open his box. He sold out in minutes. So, he did it again, day after day. There were always soldiers, and there was always lunch, and they always wanted candy bars. No more holes in his shoes."_

She stares into Ganya's eyes with a triumphant expression on her face. He had been hanging on her every word while Dmitri looked mortified and the other men ranged from surprised and uncomfortable that she had the nerve to speak out like that. Galina was pretty taken-aback by her own forwardness. Until today she had never really been more than a silent figure in the background, and she was worried that she had done something wrong. Ganya still hadn't responded to her and the room was silent aside from the ticking clock that hung on the wall over the register.

" _I need more cream,"_ Dmitri broke the silence, holding up his mug for her to take. It was obvious he wanted her gone, that he was embarrassed she had overridden him and let the other men see what little handle on his wife he really had.

" _Of course, honey,"_ Galina replied in Russian. There was a touch of sarcasm in her tone that was easy to overlook, as she once again slipped back into the role of obedient wife that he wanted her to play. Before she turned to go fix her husband's coffee though, she looked back at Ganya who hadn't moved or said anything. 

As soon as her back was turned, she could hear Dmitri mocking her to the other men and the ring of light laugher lit around the table. Galina shot a glance over at them from behind the counter and was relieved to see that Ganya hadn't joined in making fun of her, but instead had shot her husband a disapproving look that instantly silenced the cackling men. This helped quell Galina's pounding heart only slightly. She didn't know if Ganya had approved of what she'd done, or if he'd only meant he would come speak to her whenever he wanted to discuss something. She probably shouldn't have just jumped in on the men's' meeting. She should have at least waited until Ganya came to go over the books with her next time. There was an obvious reason why women were not included in his ranks. That wasn't her place and she was nervous of the repercussions for overstepping.

As she returned to the table, the silence was deafening and the defeated slump of Dmitri's spine as she set his coffee before him made it clear that he'd been humbled. There was no precedent for how they were to respond to what his wife had just said, and he was embarrassed about what she had done. It made him feel like less of a man.

"I want to speak with you," Ganya said softly.

Sounds of little bells on the door rung throughout the store, masking her mere squeak. "Me?"

She glanced over at the door to see Vasily walking in. He was bundled up from head to toe, with only his eyes peering out from over the brown knit scarf that was covering the lower half of his face. Galina met his gaze and forced herself to smile reassuringly, as she rung her hands together nervously.

Ganya pushed back his own chair to stand and looked down to address all the men still glued to their seats.

"You can leave," he told them. "We're finished here today."

He didn't have to tell them twice. In a heartbeat, all of his men, except Dmitri, had scrambled out of their chairs and reached for the coats they had hung on the backs. They muttered goodbyes, their relief at finally being excused obvious, and then scurried for the door leaving a mess of coffee mugs and crumbs on the table. They barely acknowledged Vasily as they shuffled past.

"Well, excuse me," Vasily mumbled under his breath. Galina shot him a look of warning that seemed to go unnoticed as he trotted easily over to her side.

"How was school?" Galina asked, as she began to unravel the thick scarf from around him.

"We had an assembly in the afternoon," Vasily told her. "So, I got out of doing my spelling test."

"Until tomorrow," Galina reminded him, as she plucked the hat off of his head and then held a hand out for his mittens.

"Honey, this is Mr. Ivanov," Galina said hesitantly, motioning to Ganya. "Your father works for him…"

"Well…" Ganya chuckled, "in a manner of speaking."

After Vasily worked to shrug off his heavy winter jacket, boots, and snow pants, he held out a hand politely to Ganya as he had been taught to do. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"And what's your name?" Ganya asked, smiling down at him.

"Vasily," he replied gently, as they shook hands. Galina swallowed nervously as she gathered up her son's winter clothing and set it neatly out of the way.

"He must be your youngest boy then?" Ganya looked back over at Galina.

"Yes," Galina nodded. She instinctively held out an arm to beckon Vasily close to her again. He did so automatically, moving to stand in front of her and smiling as he felt her reassuring hands on his shoulders.

"He's my baby," she added, her grip tightening possessively. None of her sons had ever laid eyes upon Ganya and his men and she wished that had never changed. It was beyond her control though. It wasn't like she had the authority to kick any of them out when the end of the school day was coming up.

Vasily frowned slightly and leaned his head back to look up at her. "Not a baby," he corrected.

"Well, you'll always be my baby," Galina replied, with a slight smile. "Where are your brothers? How come they didn't walk you home?"

She thought ten was a little too young to be walking home unaccompanied and expected her sons to stick close together. The two separate schools they attended were situated side-by-side. She was fine with them going off with different friends in the afternoon too, so long as she knew who they were and they let her know what they were doing. However, she'd just seen that Vasily had walked home alone and had she known ahead, she would have met him at the school to accompany him. That was likely exactly why he hadn't told her.

"There was a volleyball game in the gym they wanted to watch," Vasily replied, leaning his back into her as he shot another glance at Ganya who was smiling pleasantly as he watched them. "They told me to stay with them but I didn't want to. I came straight home."

"Well, you should have called me," Galina rebuked him. "You know that."

"Yeah…" Vasily sighed. "Can I have a snack, mama?"

"Okay," Galina nodded. She looked back uncertainly at Ganya, whose last words to her before her son had walked in, was that he wished to speak to her alone.

"Umm…" she glanced back at the table where Dmitri was silently drinking his coffee and not looking at them. He was brooding, and she was about to tell him to hang out with their son so that she could talk privately with Ganya. However, she didn't see how that could work either. She had just told Vasily that Ganya was Papa's boss. Why would she need to be alone with him?

"Business can wait," Ganya told her pleasantly. "Get the boy a snack. If I were you, Vasily, I'd ask for one of those Vatrushka your mother makes so well. I've been eating them all afternoon."

"They're the best," Vasily nodded his agreement. "Can I, Mama?"

"One," Galina replied softly. "So, you don't spoil your supper."

She kept her arm wrapped tightly around Vasily's shoulders as she led him around the counter. He seemed to have relaxed in Ganya's presence, although his curious mind wanted to know why his mother had said he worked with his father, and yet his Papa had not moved or said a word since he'd gotten home. He leaned against _Mamochka_ feeling reassured as she cut gave him a slice and a glass of milk to go with it.

"Would you like another?" She offered Ganya, uncertainty.

"I shouldn't," Ganya replied, "but yes." He stepped casually around the counter to join them like he owned the place. If this was bothering Galina, she gave no indication that it did.

"The food is one of the best things about coming here," Ganya announced.

"A lot of people come here to eat Mama's food," Vasily told him proudly. He wanted to tell him that his mother didn't let people other than he and his brothers behind the counter, and was surprised she didn't tell him herself. However, a feeling inside him stopped him. He correctly sensed that Ganya was a man who could do whatever he wanted.

"I can see why," Ganya replied. "That's why your mother and I are going to talk about her coming to work for me more. I have a very promising offer."

Vasily glanced worriedly up at his mother. "What about the store?" he asked her. Then he looked back at Ganya. "She can't work for you. Papa already does and he's never home. Somebody needs to be home to take care of me and my brothers."

"Smart man," Ganya chuckled, as Galina wordlessly handed him another piece of _Vatrushka._ He thanked her graciously.

"I promise that your mother working for me won't take her away from you," Ganya told Vasily, placing a strong hand on his arm.

Galina bristled and her eyes narrowed as he touched her son. She didn't like him this close to him. Even if he was being kind, she didn't want Vasily exposed to somebody like him. However, she knew she and Dmitri should have thought about that before they had gotten so involved. Now there was nothing that could be done.

Ganya patted Vasily's arm and then looked over at Galina. A curve of a lip was all the indication he gave that he had sensed her discomfort. Chuckling, he let go of the boy.

"She's going to work from home and mostly when you're at school," Ganya continued to address Vasily. "But it will mean more money. I bet you and your brothers will all be able to go to college someday."

"That's a long way off," Vasily reminded him. "But Mama already said we have to go to college."

"Well, this will make it easier," Ganya promised him. He shook his head in amusement and stuffed the last bite of the pastry into his mouth as he looked round at Dmitri. The Reznikov family patriarch was still seated at the table, watching them all through shifting and nervous eyes. He seemed to be temporarily muted.

"I better get going," Ganya announced to them all. "Let you enjoy your family time."

He looked more carefully at Vasily. "And I'm sorry you felt your father was working so much for me that he didn't have enough time at home with you. I think I'll have to change that."


	12. Chapter 12

**Lines in italics were spoken on the show.**

Over three years had come and gone, feeling like little more than a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. Yet life had changed irrevocably for the Reznikov family in that time. Though the changes were subtle, Galina knew she had gone too far down the path she had chosen to ever completely turn back. She wasn't that same person anymore. She'd barely recognize her former self.

That bright eyed and ambitious woman who had wanted to believe nearly anything could be achieved if she worked hard enough was gone. Instead she had come to accept that the world wasn't created equally and sometimes it was necessary to sacrifice a little of one's integrity in order to make it. Galina realized that she didn't always want to be the one serving the bread, and doing what she had to do to ensure she and her family thrived, seemed dignified enough for now. She was not ashamed.

Of course, someone had to serve them the bread and Galina's candid advice to Ganya three years ago had determined exactly who that would be. It was a source of animosity between Galina and her husband, that she had proven herself to Ganya as a much worthier accomplice. Galina knew that Dmitri felt emasculated and underscored by her now. How could he not? When she had effectively gotten him fired and then taken over his job.

Galina would never forget the night that the ramifications of what she had done became crystal clear. The boys had all been out with friends on a Saturday night, a couple weeks after she had gotten the nerve to speak up at the meeting being held at her store. Dmitri had gone out for a drink by himself essentially just to get away from her, and she'd been doing some work in the shop alone when she'd heard a knock at the door.

"Dmitri isn't home right now," Galina had told Ganya shyly, before she'd stepped aside to allow him and his men entry into her store.

"I'm not here about Dmitri," Ganya had chuckled. "I'm sorry to drop in on you so late, but it's been a busy day. Let's all have a seat and catch up."

"Okay," Galina had agreed hesitantly. She'd fetched them all a round of coffee before tentatively taking her own seat at the round table with them. She was across from Ganya and he smiled reassuringly at her before taking a sip from the mug she had set before him.

Galina hadn't known what to think about any of this and Ganya had seemed in no hurry to explain. This seemed to be little more than a social visit, and for the first while she had listened rather than participate. One of the other men had asked Ganya about the vacation he and Marina had recently taken together, and the boss had sprung into a colourful tale about his holiday. Though she still didn't know what was happening, Galina had felt herself beginning to relax.

" _We had fun as usual,"_ Ganya had dished. _"It couldn't be any other way. The music was beautiful. The weather was great. We had a lot of fun…. Dmitri! So good to see you!"_

Galina had been paying such rapt attention to Ganya's monologue that she hadn't heard the back door open as Dmitri let himself in. She watched from the corner of her eye as her husband took in the scene before him. She knew he would be angry to see her seated at the table with those men, engaging in a personal and jovial conversation like they were old friends. Dmitri had been jealous ever since she had outshone him at their last meeting.

" _Good to see you too,"_ Dmitri had replied demurely in Russian, _"I didn't know to expect you."_

She had watched, feeling slightly amused, as Dmitri had struggled to keep his disapproval from displaying on his face as he finally turned to look at her. Galina had known there was so much he would have liked to say to her then and couldn't, because he'd suspected correctly that Ganya would take her side. Gone were the days when her husband could reprimand her or excuse her upstairs to bed so the men could talk in private. It had been fun to watch Dmitri grapple with the reality that he had lost all authority over his wife and household when Ganya had entered their lives. Now there was nothing he could do about it.

And to remove any shadow of a doubt at where they both were ranked, Ganya had halted Dmitri immediately when he'd attempted to pull out a chair to sit down beside his wife.

" _Wait a minute, you've got to have some Khalva back there or something, no? Something sweet for us? To go with the coffee?"_

Ganya's request might have seemed innocent enough but the smirking from the other men let it be known that they had understood exactly what was happening. Ganya could have easily asked Galina to fetch him a snack, but he hadn't. He'd waited deliberately for Dmitri to show up so that he could make him get it instead. Their roles had been clearly sketched out now, by the man who currently presided over them all.

Galina hadn't been able to resist turning her head to look up at her husband, so she could fully enjoy this shift in power that was happening. After waiting on him hand and foot for basically all of their married life, this had felt good. She'd almost wanted to ask him to bring her a refill of coffee while he was up. Under Ganya's watchful eye Dmitri would have needed to comply. However, Galina had resisted.

" _Of course,"_ Dmitri's voice had squeaked back in reply, _"I'll do it now, right away."_

If Ganya's intention had been to strip away every ounce of dignity Dmitri felt as a man than he had clearly succeeded. It had been humiliating for him to be undermined in front of these other men and his wife, so she decided not to make it worse. She sat quietly, as Dmitri had turned to go fulfill Ganya's order. Galina had once called Dmitri a hamster in jackboots and she didn't really regret it. Yet, he was still the man who had the courage to come to America and create a whole new life for them. She was grateful for that. Deep down she was still grateful for her husband.

XXX

It was something Dmitri still struggled not to think about. Especially when he hung around the empty apartment well after dark wondering and worrying about where his wife was. A part of him would always blame himself for not doing more to protect her, even if that somebody she needed to be protected from was herself sometimes. Nobody understood Galina better than he did. Their marriage was far from perfect and he knew they were ill-suited, but he still cared about her. Even when he'd failed, he'd always wanted to be a good husband to her.

It was quite late when he stepped out of the shower and towelled himself dry. He'd heard Galina come in mere minutes ago and knowing she was home always made him feel a little less anxious. The two younger boys were already asleep, although Yuri hadn't made it home yet. Since he was almost eighteen, he tended to come and go as he pleased now and his mother never interfered with his independence. She trusted him and it was probably for this reason that Galina continued to have such a close relationship with her oldest son.

Yuri was much more attached to his mother than he'd ever been to his father. Though Dmitri's fall from grace in Ganya's ranks had resulted in him spending much more time at home, Yuri had never shown much interest in developing a deeper relationship with him now. He was almost all grown up; he had friends, a job, and a life all his own. Dmitri had had much more luck bonding with his other two sons, especially Maxim, who he discovered took after him in temperament quite a bit, once he had taken the time to get to know him. However, he and Vasily were seldom home now too, and their mother took advantage of their growing independence by staying out more doing god knows what. Dmitri was often very lonely.

Taking a deep breath, Dmitri quickly slipped on a clean pair of boxers and threw a t-shirt on over his head before he made his way into the bedroom to confront her. He'd been thinking this over for days.

"Where were you?" he asked, his tone coming out much more sharply than he intended.

His wife was already in bed. Sitting up, with her back resting against the headboard, she was wearing a pair of black silk pajamas and had been reading a novel that lay stretched across her lap. Galina's long red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her reading glasses were perched on the bridge of her nose. She looked like any other normal and tired woman, relaxing in bed after a long day.

Had he not known better, Dmitri would have felt ridiculous for believing she was so deep in a criminal enterprise now that she could barely decipher between right and wrong anymore. Yet, Dmitri had seen first hand for himself the sort of things Ganya and everyone who surrounded him was involved in. Being removed to the outside had given him a whole new perspective. He'd watched helplessly for three years as his wife dug herself into a deeper and deeper hole, without seeing a way to help her out. Now, he finally felt ready.

"You know I can't tell you," Galina replied softly.

"Well, that has to change," Dmitri said bluntly. "We're married. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"You've kept things from me our entire marriage," Galina pointed out. "All of a sudden you have a problem with me having things you know aren't mine to repeat?"

"It's not all of a sudden," Dmitri argued. "All I know is we can't go on like this anymore. I want out."

"Excuse me?"

He'd been working up the nerve to confront her all day, rehearsing what he planned to say in the shower before he came into their shared bedroom. From the way Galina looked up from her book and peered over her reading glasses at him, Dmitri could instantly tell his bluntness had been the wrong approach. The fine lines on her face, a subtle sign of her aging was more apparent as she frowned. Her lips pursed and her delicate eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You want to leave me?" she asked, her tone silky and seemingly unbothered by the thought of that.

Her prestige in Ganya's eyes had apparently done wonders for her confidence, and now that the boys were nearly grown and he couldn't hold the fear of a custody battle over her head, her indifference to him seemed more apparent than ever. She was no longer afraid of her husband and Dmitri knew he was powerless to make her do anything that she didn't want to do.

"Of course, not," Dmitri stammered, squaring up his shoulders as he gripped on to the smooth oak post at the foot of their bed. "But this has gone way too far."

It was incredible to believe that his own wife could ignite this insecurity in him, but Galina was now so interwoven with Ganya that he never could be entirely sure what was sacred in their marriage and what could trickle back to the mob boss himself. Dmitri wasn't ashamed to admit that Ganya still scared the living daylights out of him. He felt if Galina still had any sense left in her head, she would be very afraid too. Nobody who got too comfortable around Ganya was safe, and Dmitri worried for his wife all the time.

"Galya, you were gone all day," Dmitri said softly, though her eyes narrowed defensively as though he had yelled at her. "I didn't know where you were-"

"It's better if you don't know," Galina replied, her nails tapping impatiently against the cover of the book she held in her hands. "Ganya doesn't like us to talk about his business amongst ourselves. If he wanted you involved, he would share it with you himself."

"I'm not talking about Ganya's business," Dmitri said, his voice raising an octave. "I don't care about that anymore."

"Oh no?" Galina asked mockingly.

She knew perfectly well that Dmitri had been incredibly jealous and bitter about her replacing him. He sulked as he went about the menial jobs Ganya would trust him with, trying to pry information out of her when she'd come back from top-secret meetings with Ganya and his most elite. Galina felt proud to be counted amongst his most valued. Although a career in organized crime had obviously never been what she had envisioned for her life, her ability to promote and prove herself had made her often imagine the success she could have been if she had been more focused on a profession than raising her family.

Galina had felt that validation, the first time Ganya had shown up with his men after dark and invited her to sit down with them. She'd thought they'd been there to see Dmitri, but it had been abundantly clear when her husband was swiftly dismissed that she had been their intention. Her candid advice and story about her father's success at selling candy had made an impression on the mob boss.

" _Anyway, our guy looked into the government contracts thing,"_ Ganya had told her brightly just as soon as he'd ensured Dmitri was out of earshot. _"Schools, hospitals…"_

" _Yeah?"_ Galina had asked, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. These had been her words, her ideas, and it was incredible to have anyone take them so seriously.

" _Looks like we'll be able to work something out."_

Indeed, they had.

The past three years had shown a gradual growth in business. _Neptune's Produce_ took on contracts at a hospital, the public-school district in Astoria, and most recently, _Litchfield Correctional Facility_. Galina had done up the papers for him to apply for the prison contract herself, and Ganya had been wholly impressed when it was accepted. He now had several government contracts and had needed to hire more employees to meet the demand. No longer were restaurant closures or being out-bid at small establishments a concern for Ganya, and he was making more money than ever. He told Galina often that he couldn't have done it without her.

When the Reznikovs' debt was paid off, Ganya's generosity truly began to shine through. He had Galina keep a large percentage of the money laundered through her store as a salary, and was always ready to give her cash to replace a leaky roof or make any other upgrades she desired. It was a small price to pay for the benefits keeping her in his inner-circle invoked. Ganya had become a very powerful man.

"We don't need to do this anymore," Dmitri said pleadingly, breaking into Galina's thoughts. "It's impacting our marriage, our home, our children."

"You're worried about that now?" Galina asked, sighing deeply. "None of that seemed to matter to you very much when you were working illegally for him behind my back all these years. You started up with him when I was pregnant with Vasily! The boy is fourteen now! You were fine with Ganya until he didn't want you anymore."

"Wrong!" Dmitri snapped. "I overlooked some things because I thought it was important for us to make this connection, get in his good graces. You were the reason we wound up as deep as we have!"

"And I am taking care of it, aren't I?" Galina bristled, a slight flush burning in her cheeks.

This always happened whenever anyone mentioned the infamous tit punch and her loss of temper that had cost them 60,000 dollars and earned herself a sordid reputation in their organization. Ganya may have chosen to get past the assault, but Marina hadn't and Galina knew there were still a lot of whispers about her from the other women who would like nothing more than to see her get scorned. Turning _Neptune's_ into a leading company in New York would not enough to redeem herself on a personal level to those wives.

"It's _been_ taken care of," Dmitri corrected her. He cleared his throat and walked around the edge of their bed so that he could sit down beside her. From the way Galina shifted away, he could tell his advances were unwanted.

"Galya, listen to me," he pleaded, taking a chance and reaching for her hand resting atop the bedspread.

"We don't have to do this anymore," he said, squeezing her hand tightly. "He's been paid back what he demanded and there's nothing stopping us from walking away now. We could have a completely different life. Start over in a different city where nobody knows us. Or maybe the countryside? I've always thought that it would be nice to have all that space and quiet to ourselves…"

"What kind of fantasy world are you living in?" Galina asked incredulously.

"The only fantasy I have is getting my family away from this mess we're in," Dmitri told her promptly. "Ganya's a very bad man, Galina. You know-"

"Well, he's been good to us," Galina interrupted. "Our new roof, the money for Maxim to go on that ski trip with his classmates last January. You think I could have afforded those things myself? Especially with a husband who has proven incompetent at keeping any job?"

She pulled her hand out of his and her eyes flashed daggers as she continued before he could respond.

"For the first time in my life I don't need to be worried about one of my sons getting sick and me not being able to afford the hospital bill," Galina growled. "All I've done is help him get some new contracts for his company…"

"You turned our store into a front for the mafia and you're knowingly deceiving the government," Dmitri said tiredly. "You don't see anything wrong with that?"

"I've done what I had to do to survive and look after my boys," Galina said stiffly, a catch in her voice. "I'm tired of struggling and worrying. It's exhausting and I can't count on you."

"That's not true," Dmitri said pleadingly. "We've always figured it out and I know it hasn't always been easy, but I'm saying now that me ever getting involved with Ganya was a mistake, and worse was including you. I'm scared, Galina."

Galina pulled off her reading glasses and set them on top of her book. The creases around her blue eyes slackened as she scrutinized him gently for a moment without speaking.

"What are you so scared of?" she asked finally.

"That this house of cards is going to come crumbling down on us," Dmitri told her quietly. "Ganya isn't a good man, you know that. And you and I are not like him, even if we've both done things we know are wrong."

"We didn't have a choice," Galina reminded him.

"There's always a choice," Dmitri corrected. "We've both made choices that led us to this situation and now we can decide to get out of it or to stay. I don't want this to continue."

Galina stared at him for a long minute without speaking.

"I don't either," she finally admitted.

XXX

After almost nineteen years of marriage, Galina had gotten so good at tuning Dmitri out and dismissing most of what he had to say, that it was very difficult to accept that he was right on this matter. At least he was correct in essence. Her involvement in Ganya's business was illegal and ignoring the truth couldn't change it. However, wanting to rectify that seemed like an almost impossible goal and one that made her question Dmitri's grip on reality. Did he honestly expect Ganya to just accept her resignation letter? Could they really turn their entire life around and uproot their children?

Yuri would be graduating in a matter of weeks and Vasily was thrilled at the prospect of moving up into high school with all his friends next September. Their family life was so ordinary and so pleasant, it was hard to believe that Galina had managed to carry such dark secrets the last few years, and Dmitri even longer.

Of course, Dmitri had never intended for things to get as out of hand as they had, but he was the one who had opened the door to the Russian mob and Galina had made it worth their while to stay. Both parents were guilty of many things they wished they could simply forget about and move on from, but that wasn't the way the world worked. Every choice had a consequence.

They'd stayed up talking about possible avenues for making their escape, but by the time Dmitri had passed out beside her, they weren't any closer to coming up with a resolution. All Galina felt was stuck and she believed the only way to move on or sever ties would be to appeal to Ganya in person. The man had ears and eyes all over this city. Any deception on her part would reach him and arouse suspicion. It was such a difficult web they were entangled in and the what if scenarios kept her mind swirling with anxiety. Even if she hadn't been waiting up to make sure Yuri made it home safely, Galina knew she would not have been able to sleep.

Instead, she got out of bed and walked the floor of the apartment. Muttering to herself, wrangling her hands together, and pausing now and again to adjust or clean something until the place was perfectly in order. Her pacing was so disconcerting that is got the attention of the cat. Myshka abandoned her favourite spot, curled up in the living room arm chair, to come investigate.

"I don't know what to do, Myshka," Galina confessed softly to the curious cat, who moved much slower but was still as affectionate as she'd been since the day Galina had brought her home. She picked the feline up and pressed her warm cheek against the animal's soft fur. The comfort she derived when Myshka nuzzled her head made Galina feel a little bit better. She could sense her heart rate beginning to slow down and finally felt able to sit down and rest.

Galina was still unmoved from her spot on the sofa when Yuri finally came home. Keeping the lights off as he removed his jacket and shoes, before tiptoeing past on the way to his bedroom, it took him a moment to realize she was even there. He passed through the shadowy living room before doing a double back at his mother on the sofa.

"God, Mama! You scared me," Yuri gasped, clutching his hand over his heart. He took a few steps back towards her. "You didn't have to wait up. Aren't you tired?"

"Aren't you?" Galina asked softly, leaning her head back against the sofa to look up at him. Her hands were still resting possessively over the sleeping cat on her lap.

"You have an early shift tomorrow," she reminded him.

Yuri had gotten a weekend job at a call center in town. He was planning to go work for them full time when he finished high school, despite his mother urging him to apply to college instead. He wanted to make money and get out in the world for a little while before subjecting himself to several more years in a classroom. When they'd discussed his decision, Yuri had assured his mother he'd most likely go to college someday but he still was trying to figure out what he even wanted to do there. It had been a source of conflict between them, but Yuri was old enough to decide for himself and he was every bit as head strong as the woman who raised him.

"I'll manage," Yuri shrugged.

"Then so will I," Galina replied, with a hint of a smile in her tone.

Actually, she had every intention of sleeping in tomorrow since the store was all in order and she had no other obligations lined up. It was one of the perks of being close to facing the prospect of an empty nest. Her boys were still around her constantly and they spent time together every day, but they didn't need her the way that they used to. It was something that made her very sad whenever she thought too hard about it, but she enjoyed the additional freedom it allotted her to read more, sleep late, and, yes, work more efficiently for Ganya.

"Did you have a good night?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Yuri nodded.

Despite the late hour, instead of leaving it at that he sat down beside her on the sofa to talk more. He and his mother had always shared very open and honest communication. It came with the territory of being her oldest child, especially when Galina had a disengaged husband and few friends she could call on. There was very little she held back from sharing with her son as he'd grown. Her affiliation with Ganya was the biggest secret she had ever kept from him. Even the less than desirable aspects about her relationship with his father had been shared tactfully and truthfully when Yuri had become old enough to ask.

"Anna and I went to a party at Toni Carwile's house tonight," Yuri shared. "I just dropped her off at her house."

"Was there drinking?" Galina asked casually.

"Some," Yuri admitted. "But we left before things got too out of hand. We both only had a couple of beers."

"You've been seeing quite a bit of Anna," Galina said, running her fingers down Myshka's back. "Am I allowed to call her your girlfriend yet or are you still trying to pass her off as just a friend?"

"She's a girlfriend," Yuri admitted with an embarrassed sort of chuckle. "Has been for awhile."

"Well, I knew that," his mother chided him, reaching back to brush her hand over his strawberry blonde hair. "I just was wondering when you'd finally admit it."

Yuri smiled as he bumped his head back against his mother's hand. She scratched her nails affectionately down his short hair to the base of his neck. Yuri clicked his tongue in contemplation and his eyes scanned around the darkened room as they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Ma?" Yuri said hesitantly, after a long while.

"Mhmm?"

"There's something I want to ask you about," Yuri said nervously. "Only I'm pretty sure you're not going to like it…"

"Did you do something wrong?"

"No," Yuri shook his head. He took a deep breath and then turned his head to stare his mother directly in the eye. "But I think you are."

"What?" Galina exclaimed, as her hand abruptly halted its massage of Yuri's neck. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Anna's father asked me why that man, Ganya Ivanov, is always hanging around here with you," Yuri confessed, wrangling his hands together. "They said they see him in here more than Pop is."

"Honey, I work for him," Galina said nervously, drawing her now clammy hand closer to herself. "There's nothing-I would never-"

"They didn't mean they thought you were having an affair with him," Yuri cut her off. "I know you wouldn't do something like that. But they told me they've heard rumours about Ganya's business. They said they heard he is a career criminal and they wanted to know why you were caught up with him."

"Well, Yuri, you know that rumours are just rumours…" Galina stammered. "You can't believe everything you hear."

"So, you're saying that there is no shred of truth in those rumours?" Yuri asked bluntly. "You can promise me that there is nothing to worry about?"

Galina took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to bide herself more time. He was right, that she didn't like what he had brought up but it was probably long overdue. Yuri was far too smart a boy not to notice something so amiss occurring right under his nose. It wouldn't be long before Maxim and Vasily started asking awkward questions too, which at least reaffirmed that Dmitri was right and they needed to find a way to break free before it blew up in all of their faces.

"I can promise you that you don't need to worry," she said slowly.

" _Mamochka-"_

"No, honey," Galina closed her eyes and shook her head rapidly. "I'm not going to lie to you...but I'm going to promise you that I am going to fix things, and everything is going to be okay. This isn't your problem."

"Well, if you have a problem then I want to help you, Mama," Yuri said firmly. "I'm not a kid anymore. You can trust me."

"Oh, I do trust you," Galina nodded affirmatively. "But it doesn't matter how old you are, you're always going to be _my_ child, and there are things you're not supposed to be burdened with."

"Okay…" Yuri sighed reluctantly. "Well, does Pop at least know what's going on?"

"Oh, yes," Galina scoffed. "He knows."

"Because he worked for him too," Yuri stated unnecessarily, his thoughts wandering. "Is he-"

"No," Galina cut him off firmly. "Your father is fine. And soon, I'll be fine too. For now, I just need you to forget all of this. Can you do that for me?"

"Probably not," Yuri said honestly.

"Well, at least pretend," Galina suggested weakly.


	13. Chapter 13

As was typical of her, Galina had been caught up in doing so many things that morning that she now was going to have to rush to make it in time. Taking off from work, even if she was only planning on stepping out for a short while, took considerable effort and careful planning. She never really believed that anyone could do it as well as her, and was usually proven right whenever she had found a replacement in the past. As she hurried behind the counter to change into a pair of outdoor shoes and grab her purse, Galina tried to ignore the sour look her husband was shooting at her back.

"I hope that isn't the face you're going to wear when greeting customers," Galina couldn't help but snarl as she headed for the door.

Her remark only made Dmitri look even more surly. Glowering at her as he leaned back in the chair he hadn't moved from in at least an hour. He'd sat there nibbling at biscuits and sipping coffee that he at least had had enough sense to fetch for himself, while he watched Galina bustle around getting everything organized so that she would feel comfortable leaving for the speech presentations being given at Vasily's school.

"Well, how long are you going to be?" Dmitri complained resentfully. He brushed some crumbs from the front of his shirt and then stood up to go place his dishes in the sink.

"I don't know," Galina shrugged her shoulders. "An hour? An hour and a half, maybe?"

"Well, you better make sure you're back in time for lunch," Dmitri said warningly. "It's too much for one person to handle if we get hit at noon."

"I used to manage it alone all the time, and that was with three little boys hanging off of me," Galina reminded him, the corners of her mouth tugged persuasively at the memory, making the muscles in her face feel oddly sore. The last couple of weeks had been especially trying and it had at least been days since she had felt like smiling.

"Anyway, I'll be back," she proceeded to say. Nodding her head at the sink he had just deposited his dishes in. A few mixing bowls, and the measuring cups, and spoons, she used for baking were also set inside. One of the things she hadn't gotten to before needing to leave.

"You could do the dishes, you know," she reminded him with a pointed look.

Dmitri shrugged his shoulders at her in response. It was obvious from the grimace on his face that he thought he was doing more than enough for her already.

"I could have found someone to work the morning if you had wanted to come," Galina stated flatly. "But if you don't want to, then why should I spend money on help when you're not doing anything anyway?"

"You never told me that," Dmitri argued.

"Yes, I did," Galina replied.

"Nope," Dmitri shook his head. "And if you had really wanted me there you would have made more effort."

"I don't want you," Galina said shortly. "I've been attending those boys' events all by myself since they started school. Why should now be any different?"

She didn't wait for him to respond. Slinging her purse over one shoulder, Galina walked briskly towards the door of the store, giving the place a quick once over as she did. She'd put so much of her heart and effort into running this place all these years. She didn't like leaving it in somebody else's hands, especially Dmitri, whose incompetence and laziness had become abundantly clearer throughout their marriage. The only thing that could pull her away from her beloved shop was her three sons. Galina didn't think she had ever missed out on any monumental moment in their lives. Her presence was something they had always been able to count on.

Even now, with her mind a whirl of anxieties and fears, she still was finding a way to push that down long enough to head over to the school and be there for her son like she was expected to be. Work kept her head filled with distractions most of the time, but for weeks every quiet moment had been wrought with bad thoughts and growing concerns. Even walking down, the block on a gorgeous day, with the sun shining, and the air warm on her face proved no different. Galina almost wished she had brought Dmitri along with her after all, if only because being irritated with him would have kept her mind off everything else that was going wrong.

Yuri's confrontation had been causing her unprecedented distress. It made the situation seem even more dire and, in a way, more "real" than it had been before. While she had always known, of course, that what she was doing was wrong, seeing that disappointment and suspicion in her son's eyes had made it impossible to ignore. How exactly, after always insisting her children follow the rules and disciplining them accordingly when they didn't, would they ever respect her again after learning she was nothing but a common criminal?

Her hypocrisy was astounding and she knew that Yuri at least would never cease to point it out. Already she could feel the dynamic between herself and her oldest son shifting dramatically. He didn't confide in her like he normally would and even the looks he gave her seemed wrought with mistrust and suspicion, like her even saying the most basic of things should suddenly be questioned. Despite not having the details, Yuri now knew with certainty that his mother was involved in things she shouldn't be and watching him pull away from her emotionally was breaking her heart.

Since the moment Yuri had been laid in her arms and made her a mother, her life had revolved around her children. The role had come naturally to her and even on difficult days it had been what she wanted to do with her life. She'd worried about her boys their entire lives, questioned every choice she made, and tried to do everything right in raising them into young men she would be proud of. It seems she had succeeded at that.

Yuri stood on the brink of adulthood as an intelligent and stubborn individual, with a keen sense of right and wrong. He had become a better person than his mother, and all Galina could think was that she needed to find a way to fix her mistakes before they made thing even worse between them. She just didn't know how to go about doing that exactly.

The only thing she could think was that she needed to sit down with Ganya and just simply state that she wasn't willing to launder money through her store anymore and that she wanted to step away from her involvement in _Neptune's_ as well. Her silence was golden and he could count upon her discretion for life. She'd never do anything to put him or his other men at risk, she just didn't want to have that risk on herself anymore. Her debt was paid, she'd been useful to him in several different ways, but now it was time to get out. She had hoped that Ganya would be understanding.

Though the trouble with that plan was that Ganya had made himself incredibly scarce that last few weeks. He hadn't come by to see her and he hadn't returned any of her calls. It wasn't uncommon for Ganya to switch numbers though, in order to stay under the radar, and it was possible that he'd just been too occupied by other things lately to let her know.

However, Galina couldn't escape the nagging suspicion that the mob boss was upset with her about something. There was only one possibility she could think of, and that was that he had gotten wind about her wanting to get out and that this was his retaliation. Ganya had eyes and ears all over this city and his silence was very ominous to her. She couldn't help but overthink and assume the worst, when she was on the verge of likely angering the man, she had worked so hard to please for years. Ganya didn't seem like the sort of man that you could simply turn in a resignation letter to and then walk away, but that was exactly what she had to do.

XXX

She'd been speed walking down the street, hardly aware of her surroundings and more focused on getting to the school on time. However, she had to pass the warehouse for _Neptune's Produce_ on her way and despite being in a rush, her stride slowed to that of a casual stroll as Ganya's business came into view.

From the outside it looked just like any other of the many factories and company headquarters that were situated in this part of town. Galina halted to allow a delivery truck to turn off the street and head into the back where she knew the loading dock to be. The driver nodded his head in recognition to her, and though Galina had never learned his name, she knew him to be the little bald Russian man that Ganya had hired to drive his shipments to Litchfield every week.

Was the truck driver complicit in Ganya's criminal conspiracy? It was hard to say. The man only delivered produce, the same way Dmitri used to pack boxes in the warehouse before the Reznikovs' had gotten in much deeper. Yet, Dmitri had always known that his boss was a crook and he'd turned a blind eye to it for several years before actively desiring to climb the ranks. Dmitri might be content to point the finger at his wife now and blame it all on her, but they all knew he'd have willingly participated in it all, if Ganya hadn't pushed him out first.

"You want overtime? I've got another load for you to drive out today," a familiar Russian voice could be heard saying over the rumble of the idling truck. Galina didn't even have to turn around to confirm that the speaker was Ganya. Standing on the loading dock in a pair of dark-washed jeans and a burgundy knit sweater, Ganya looked stern and professional at the same time.

Galina hesitated for just a fraction of an instant before passing the fence and entering the warehouse compound. She didn't know why she should be nervous to approach Ganya, except that him being so clearly in close proximity to her all these weeks confirmed her fear that he had been intentionally avoiding her. He could have picked up a phone or stopped by the shop for a few minutes like she had asked him to. Ganya had never had any trouble doing that whenever he had wanted something from her in the past. For awhile, summoning her for the smallest hurdle he faced had seemed to be his favourite occupation.

"Load up the trailer," Ganya instructed a group of men who had just walked out of the warehouse doors to join him on the loading dock.

Though he had to be aware of her approaching, Ganya refused to look at her for the longest time. He kept his eyes firmly on his employees. With his arms crossed over his chest he looked every bit of the formidable boss that he played so well. This was all part of his game, one of the several roles he acted out in his tangled web of deception that many had gotten stuck in.

Ganya had been so complementary and friendly to Galina and her children since she'd begun helping him out. Yet, there was no trace of that friendliness to be detected when he at last turned to face her. Galina feel an uneasy chill crawl up her back and knew immediately that Dmitri had been right to remind her that this was not a good man. Leaving this operation was not going to be easy. Nothing in comparison with falling into Ganya's trap would ever be simple again.

"What are you doing here, Galina?" Ganya asked, his tone expressionless, when she at last reached the foot of the loading dock.

"I've been trying to reach you," Galina replied, tilting her head back to look up at the man. From her place on the ground, and himself on the stage that put him several feet above her, Ganya looked like a giant. The angle made Galina feel very small and insignificant. As though they hadn't spent the better part of the last few years conspiring together and behaving like friends.

"I've been busy, as you can see," Ganya replied smoothly, motioning to the crew that was loading up the waiting truck precisely and silently.

"I haven't really been keeping in contact with anyone."

"Yes, but this is important," Galina said, her voice raising an octave in urgency. "I've been trying to talk to you for weeks."

"If you've lasted that long, then surely it can wait another day. No?" Ganya asked boredly.

He looked down at the woman situated below him and sighed. His lip curled in the slightest display of sympathy. His untangled his crossed arms and brought his finger up to his mouth in consideration.

"Listen, Galina…" Ganya exhaled another deep breath. In a first human act he walked down the steps from the loading dock so that he could join her on the ground.

"I already know what you want to talk to me about," he said quietly, once he had reached her side.

"You do?" Galina replied softly.

"Of course," Ganya scoffed. "Why do you think I've been keeping such a low profile? This is exactly why you shouldn't be here right now."

"But-"

"You need to go," Ganya said firmly, waving his hand impatiently back towards the street. "Don't try to contact me again. I'll be in touch soon."

Galina's blue eyes widened in horror and confusion. She didn't know exactly what he was referring to and didn't think he actually had an inkling at all about what she'd wanted to discuss. Ganya's mind seemed to be occupied by something much more ominous than one of his most valued team members wanting out.

Ganya didn't give her a chance for rebuttal or to ask him any more questions. With his face cold and devoid of emotion, he turned to go back the way he had come. Up the stairs, Ganya walked across the cement loading dock to the heavy metal doors that men were still carrying boxes of produce out of. He slipped between them gracefully and disappeared into the warehouse.

Fully aware of all the workers' eyes upon her, Galina avoided looking at everyone. There didn't seem to be anything else to do if Ganya refused to speak to her. Clenching her teeth and swallowing back the lump in her throat, Galina walked back towards the street feeling more lost that she had perhaps ever felt in her life. She was very alone.

XXX

Yet, despite wanting nothing more than to go home and pull the covers up over her head, Galina managed to drag herself the rest of the way to Vasily's middle school. She arrived several minutes late and had to stand against the back wall because all the seats were taken. Her eyes surveyed over the scene before her; fidgeting adolescents in the audience, a boy she recognized from Vasily's class at the podium, and her own son sitting in the line-up of chairs at the back of the stage. He was restlessly thumbing through his index cards, a sign that relieved his mother because it meant she hadn't missed his turn.

 _I need to get that boy a haircut_ , she noted to herself as she watched him carefully from across the auditorium. His thick dark locks kept falling into his face as he stooped over his index cards, which were balanced on his bouncing knee. It was obvious to his mother that he was nervous. She wished she had managed to make it there in time to catch him before he went up on stage. So that he would at least know she was there for him.

As if on cue, Vasily lifted his head up at that precise moment and scanned the room like he was searching for someone. His eyes combed through the sea of people until they at last landed on her. And when he spotted his mother standing by the door, his face broke out into a genuine smile for an instant. It was obvious that her presence still meant a lot to him and that she had done the right thing by showing up, even if she really hadn't wanted to.

She stood there impatiently though. Her back arched and slumped back against the wall incessantly, while she played with the clasp on her purse with more restlessness than any of the students present. She wasn't even aware of anything that was being said in the gymnasium, pausing her fidgeting long enough only to bring her hands together distractedly a few times whenever she heard the room break out in applause to signify another child had finished. The kids reciting their practiced speeches were nothing more than a muffled backdrop to Galina's own train of thoughts.

It seemed to absurd to be standing so uselessly in a middle school auditorium like a sitting duck when she should be somewhere plotting how she was going to save her life. Things had taken such a dark turn that she probably should have been clever enough to foresee, but which she had conveniently pushed away again and again whilst concentrating on the money she was making and the success she was producing-all for a man who clearly could care less about her.

She was always just a pawn to Ganya. Someone who had conveniently allowed him to place a debt over her head and proved more useful than he had ever dared to dream. They had never been partners though. Whatever she had intentioned or sought for being accepted and valued by a powerful person had always been circumstantial. Ganya was clearly now focused on something he considered to be much more important than reassuring her, and Galina was left out in the dust. Yuri already had drawn the conclusion that she was involved in something quite sinister in the Russian mob. How long before others began to suspect her as well? Getting out painlessly was seeming like a less and less attainable goal, especially when she had already run out of places to turn to for support.

"Ma!"

"What?" Galina exclaimed, snapping out of her daze and staring back into her youngest son's brown eyes, which were currently veiled in a frown. When had he become taller than her? Was the first thought that came to mind. Then it hit her that Vasily wouldn't be at the back of the auditorium with her unless he'd already finished giving his speech on stage. She had been standing there all this time and had still managed to miss the entire thing.

"I had to say your name three times before you even noticed me!" Vasily complained. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Galina said, so quickly that Vasily raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

Galina's cheeks burned slightly in shame. She had never dazed out on anything so important to one of her children before, and Vasily had been rehearsing that speech for weeks. However, considering her current situation, anything and everything that didn't directly involve trying to find a solution to her mammoth of a problem seemed trivial by comparison.

"You did amazing up there," she hurried to change the subject. She just hoped that it was true.

"Meh," Vasily shook his head. "I forgot one of my lines."

"Well, I couldn't tell," Galina assured him. Which was the truth. For all purposes, she might as well have not even bothered to show up.

Fortunately, Vasily didn't seem to recognize how distracted his mother currently was. Turning his focus back to the speaker who was taking her turn at the podium, Vasily watched with a serious look on his face while his mother gazed at him instead.

He was still the picture of innocence and, at fourteen, he hadn't yet begun to suspect that anything out of the ordinary was amiss in his family. How fortunate for him. Galina wanted to do everything she could to spare her son from learning about the painful realities of the world. Most of all, she never wanted her baby to find out anything that would cause him to see her in a different light.

But that was becoming less and less likely. The truth of how completely trapped she was, was making any hope she'd been clinging to seem like a naive fantasy. There were already rumours about her in the neighbourhood, as Yuri had revealed. People were whispering about what Galina Reznikov had gotten herself into. Even Ganya was keeping a deliberate distance from her now.

Galina glanced nervously around the crowded room of the middle school that her youngest son would soon be moving on from. For so many years she'd been an active participant in the goings-on of this institution, always willing to lend a hand in order to be more involved in her children's education. Though as she looked around the space now, drawing out the familiar faces she recognized, Galina couldn't help but wonder who had heard things about her and whether it was too late after all.

"You better go rejoin your class," Galina advised, nudging Vasily gently, while he listened intently to the current speaker on stage.

"Hers is better than mine," Vasily stated gloomily.

"You did fine," Galina said, trying to hide her impatience. The air in the room felt uncomfortably warm and all the other people present were causing a serious case of claustrophobia. Galina tugged at the collar of her shirt while her other clammy hand clenched and unclenched. She knew she was on the verge of a serious panic attack and needed to get out of there before her son became aware of what a rough state she was in.

"I need to get going."

"You're not going to stay to find out who won?" Vasily asked in surprise, looking slightly hurt at the betrayal. His mother had never tried to rush out of any of his events early before. He took in her pale and exhausted looking face. Wondering if maybe she was getting sick.

"I can't," she told him breathlessly, brushing the back of her hand over her forehead which was damp with sweat.

"Ma-"

"Sorry, honey," Galina shook her head. "You know Papa will lose his mind if I leave him alone in the shop for much longer. You know Fridays are a big day for us. And I need-"

"Yeah, but-"

"You can tell me everything I missed at supper tonight," Galina interrupted, eager to pacify her son and make her departure.

"But Ma are you feeling okay?"

"Yes!" Galina exclaimed, nodding her head in urgency. She took a deep calming breath, but only succeeded at making herself feel even more lightheaded.

"I'm fine. I'll even make you a special dinner, tonight," she bribed. "What would you like?"

"Vasily?" she prompted when he continued to just stare at her in astonished disbelief.

"I don't know," Vasily sighed. "Maybe a roast beef and some mashed potatoes?"

"Sure," Galina replied. " _Sharlotka_ for dessert?"

"Yeah," Vasily nodded, though he still looked worried.

Galina took the opportunity to step forward and kiss his cheek. Though she knew he would object, her arms wrapped around her son as she tried to derive as much comfort out of her his slim frame as she could. She knew she was probably only alarming him further though. And the way he pretended to object, wiping her kiss off and glancing around nervously to ensure none of his friends had seen, was clearly for show. Vasily's brown eyes were wrought with concerns that went much deeper than just his mother showing him affection in public as a teenager.

"I love you. I'll see you at home," Galina whispered quietly. Struggling to hide that she was already on the verge of tears.

"Ma-"

"Go join your class," Galina pleaded, backing up and biting down hard on the inside of her cheek as a last attempt at composing herself. "Please…"

Not knowing what else he could do, Vasily gave her a curt nod before turning to go back to where he was supposed to be. He wished Maxim wasn't over at the high school right now. Having a brother around at the moment to tell him what to do and reassure him that their mother wasn't on the verge of losing her mind, would have been an inexplicable comfort. As it was, Vasily sat down in the audience to await the winners announced and didn't even notice when his name was called to come accept his award for second place.

XXX

Galina managed to take a few steps away from the building before she dissolved into the sobs she couldn't possibly have held back for a moment longer. She kept her head bowed and a hand over her quivering lips. She didn't want to stop moving and draw even more attention to herself, though several heads did stop and turn as the crying woman passed them on the street. Going home wasn't going to solve anything, but the only thought currently on her mind was getting back to Dmitri.

Her irritant of a husband who she both regretted and needed like nobody else. Dmitri was the only person who could understand what she was going through and who might actually care, even if it was only because the truth would hurt him as well. Maybe packing up their bags and disappearing in the night to begin a whole new life somewhere new, wasn't the stuff of fantasies like she had labelled it when Dmitri had suggested it. Maybe it was their only chance.

As she turned the corner to walk down the block of her own street, the sight that greeted her was the stuff of nightmares. Her feet came to an instant halt as she took in the display down the street. Police cruisers were blocking off the street, spectators were standing on the sidewalk hoping to get in on the action, and there were at least a dozen officers moving around in sets of two.

 _What do I do?_

The question hung unanswered in Galina's mind as her legs shook threateningly. It was a miracle that she didn't topple over. At least she had already cried out all of her tears on the walk home. The skin around her sensitive eyes felt raw and sore, as she widened them to take in the entire scene.

Instinctively, her first thought was to turn and run away. Walking over there seemed as foolish as stepping into a lion's den. However, there was nowhere else for her to go now. There wasn't really a choice in the matter. Yuri, Maxim, and Vasily would be returning home in a matter of hours. For all she knew, Dmitri was being spoken to as she stood there uselessly on the sidewalk. She already knew Ganya wouldn't help her if she went to him. Though every part of herself felt heavy and resistant, Galina's legs began propelling her forward. Her possibly final choice as a free woman was to surrender.


	14. Chapter 14

Forcing herself to walk over to the police outside her shop and identify herself as Galina Reznikov had taken every ounce of courage she had. Naively she had hoped that if she presented herself to them without any incentive to hide, they would realize that this was all just a big mistake and apologize for the inconvenience, not to mention the degradation, of having placed her under such scrutiny in front of her entire neighbourhood. However, that was not at all what had happened.

As the warrant for her arrest was brought forth and her hands were pulled behind her back and locked together in a pair of tight handcuffs, Galina had felt every last morsel of her bravery slipping away. She'd known things had gotten way out of hand and that she had crossed many lines that she stood have stayed clear of, yet some how she never had really imagined it coming to this. Being cuffed and locked in the back of a patrol car as she watched law personnel walking in and out of her shop like they owned the place, seemed to be something out of a movie. It wasn't supposed to happen to a hardworking mother of three. Yet it was only just beginning.

Hours later had not brought any improvement to Galina's predicament and would be considered for a long time as the worst moments of her life. She'd been fingerprinted and photographed, had her handbag confiscated, and suffered through the indignity of a full-on strip search conducted by an impatient female officer who had seemed inclined to make the entire process as humiliating as possible. As soon as that had been done with and she'd been allowed to get dressed, Galina had been locked up in a dirty cell with two other women. There she had sat, inspecting the marks on her wrists from the tight handcuffs and trying not to cry.

Nobody had seemed very interested in answering her questions or directing her towards someone who could help her out of this madness. She had tried to talk to the two officers who had driven her down to the station. She'd wanted to know where her husband was, since the last time she had seen Dmitri had been when she was leaving him to run the store while she headed to Vasily's school. That all now felt like it had occurred a lifetime ago, and it may as well have.

Nobody bothered to tell her what had become of Dmitri or what had transpired before she'd returned home. They'd snapped at her to be quiet because they'd use anything she said against her and then left her alone to her terrified thoughts while they conversed with one another as though she wasn't there. She hadn't bothered to utter another word since, except to answer the identifying questions fired at her upon arrival at the police headquarters.

She'd sat in that jail cell for what felt like hours and although she was terrified about what was to come next, it had been a relief when an officer had unlocked the barred door at let her out. She couldn't go anywhere but she had been allowed to make a phone call. So, since she was still unaware of what had become of her husband, she had decided to call Yuri instead. He had recently bought a cell phone with the money from his job, which Galina had initially believed to be a waste of money but now was immensely thankful for. They'd spoken briefly and then the officer had moved Galina into a small room where he'd cuffed her still tender wrist to the table before shutting the door and leaving her alone.

There she had sat. Her eyes upon the clock as she focused on the ticking sound and counted the seconds, minutes, and then straight into the next hour. One wall of this small room was a full mirror which Galina was certain she was being watched through. She could feel eyes upon her, judging and hateful, and kept her eyes focused determinedly on the clock instead. She didn't want to look into the mirror and be more of a spectacle for any observers than she already surely was.

" _Yuri, it's mama_ ," Galina had not been able to keep the trembling out of her voice when she'd phoned her son.

He had been able to tell immediately that something was wrong and Galina had hated giving him more ammunition to hold against her. She'd already disappointed him enough, just the realization that his mother had broken the law and wasn't who she had always appeared to be. Yuri had warned her to get out, not understanding just what a difficult hurdle that was to overcome-and now impossible. They were on to her and facing the consequences of the line of choices that had led her to here was all that she could do.

" _I'm at the police station. I've been...arrested,"_ Galina had whimpered into the phone, and replaying it over and over in her head now only intensified her shame.

" _I don't know where Papa is, but he has your number so if he is able to then I'm sure he will call you…. listen to me, you can't go home."_

" _Where am I supposed to go?"_ Yuri had asked sarcastically, the scathing tone he addressed his mother with sending a shiver down Galina's spine. _"Do you want me to go find your old pal Ganya? See if he'll cop up some bail money to get you out of this mess?"_

" _I want you to take care of your brothers,"_ Galina had answered, her tone pleading as she locked eyes with the impatient cop standing a few feet away, who had just motioned for her to wrap it up.

" _Darling, can you do that?"_

" _What am I supposed to do with them?"_ Yuri had asked resentfully. _"Do you have any idea how long this is going to take? When you'll be home?"_

" _I don't know,"_ Galina had sniffled, tears pooling in her eyes. _"I'm sorry, honey...I'm so sorry. Could all three of you go to Anna's? Will her parents let you spend the night?"_

" _They won't be happy,"_ Yuri had replied. Which was an understatement. His girlfriend's parents had been the ones to express their growing concerns about what his mother was getting into. They cared for Yuri and he knew they wouldn't turn he or his brothers away, but he dreaded having to admit they were right and lower their opinion of his family even more.

" _Just don't go home,"_ Galina had nearly begged. Last she had seen of the place, police had been going through it with a fine tooth and comb. She didn't know if they would still be there or how things would look, she only knew she didn't want her sons to see any of that.

" _Don't worry, Ma," Yuri_ had said sarcastically. _"It's not like I have any desire to be there right now anyway._ "

They'd hung up on bad terms. Yuri was justifiably angry and Galina could only fathom how her younger two would feel once they learned where she was. However, traumatizing her sons was hardly the most pressing concern in her mountain of problems. She was actually worried about having wasted her one phone call to speak to her son. Maybe she should have phoned Ganya and begged for his help, although she had a nagging suspicion that he had actually been expecting this to happen and that was the reason he had distanced himself from her recently. She didn't know what to do.

Galina could feel the fabric from her clothes sticking to her sweaty back and her stomach grumbled ominously in the quiet room. She hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning and according to the clock, it was nearly a quarter past six. She had told Vasily that she'd make him his favourite dinner tonight to celebrate his accomplishments at school. He'd been so worried when she'd left him at noon, and now she was here.

All she wanted was to move. She felt claustrophobic and was craving fresh air, but she couldn't even stand up. The handcuff that chained her to the table ensured that she wasn't going anywhere. She pulled her hand up and gave it a little shake, the rattle of the chain against the table demonstrating just how trapped she truly was.

"Mrs. Reznikov?"

The voice and the door opening at last took Galina by complete surprise. She'd been sitting there alone for hours. She'd stopped looking for someone to come. She'd been stuck in her own head, replaying the many regrets she'd accumulated over a lifetime. It was ironic how just one simple choice along the line somewhere could have prevented this now. If she'd never married Dmitri, for instance, she probably never would have heard of Ganya or even left Russia.

"I'm Detective Walsh," the man introduced himself. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

At the sight of this man entering into the room, Galina stopped fidgeting and dropped her hand flat onto the table. She said nothing but eyed him suspiciously, drinking in the sight of him. She wasn't at all sure what she had been expecting, but this man hadn't been it. He looked friendly and far less ominous than she would have expected. Mid-to-late forties, around her own age. Detective Walsh was tall and overweight, with a full head of auburn hair and a cleanly shaven face. His left hand holding a thick file folder had a platinum wedding band on his ring finger. Had it not been for the room they were in and the fact that she was shackled to the desk, Galina would not have felt intimidated by him.

"I know this must be scary," the detective said sympathetically. He dropped the file folder onto the table with a thud and then pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

"I would have come speak to you sooner but I was waiting to make sure my guys had finished their search and had what we needed."

Detective Walsh cleared his throat as he shifted his chair closer to the table and tapped the top of the file folder meaningfully. "Quite a mess you've gotten yourself into. Isn't it?"

Galina balled her hands into fists and then released them. Shifting uneasily in her chair she tried to think back to every crime show she had ever watched on television or article she had read in the paper. She was trying to figure out how to respond or what was in her own best interests. Just because this detective wasn't snapping at her didn't mean that he was on her side. He was building the case against her.

"Listen, Mrs. Reznikov, I know you've got kids at home that need you," Detective Walsh said, folding his hands together on top of his papers. His blue eyes pierced into her own as Galina raised her head to look at him.

"I want to help you get back to them but that isn't going to happen unless you help me. We've been watching you for awhile. We've got footage from the bank, bad receipts, evidence of money laundering through your business. I've got enough to lock you away for ten years right here in this file-and that's before we even jump into what we found while raiding your place right now."

Galina's pale cheeks lost what little colour they had still been harbouring. If she hadn't already been sitting, she was pretty positive that she would have fainted. She sat weakly in her chair, as panic surged through her body. She needed help. She wasn't capable of doing this herself. She needed to speak to Dmitri, ask him to call a lawyer, or find someone who could tell her what she should do. Ganya wasn't going to help her now. He was complicit. He was the whole reason she was even there in the first place.

"None of this is looking good for you, Mrs. Reznikov," Detective Walsh proceeded. "We have records of all the unusual activity surrounding you and your business. When we searched your store today, we expected to find more proof and it delivered. What can you tell me about that?"

"I want to speak to my husband first," Galina said carefully.

"To Dmitri?" Detective Walsh verified. "Why do you want to speak to him? To get your stories straight? We've already talked to him and he was quite forthcoming."

"Did you arrest him?" Galina asked.

"No, we haven't," Detective Walsh replied. "At least not yet. Unless you tell us otherwise, that he forced you to act on his behalf, all the fraudulent documents we have are in your name. Dmitri was very cooperative. He allowed us into the shop without resistance and willingly came down to the station to answer a couple of questions…"

"What sort of questions?" Galina asked warily.

"Mrs. Reznikov, I want to get to the bottom of all of this," Detective Walsh said, with a bite of impatience. "To be frank, I'm not going to be very interested in the petty cash you've been banking fraudulently if you'll help me get to the bigger picture. I know you didn't get into all of this yourself. I'm more concerned about what we found in the store today. What can you tell me about that?"

Galina bit down on her lip and shook her head. "I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Detective Walsh raised his brows at her. "Mrs. Reznikov, I've got testimony from your husband stating that you work all day, everyday, in your store often late into the night after closing hours. You want me to believe that you don't know about everything that goes on in that place?"

"It wasn't all me…" Galina stammered. "There are things I'm not sure of...things I didn't want to know….:

"Well, if it's not you then somebody knows," Detective Walsh pressed. "And you know who they would be. Because you see, Mrs. Reznikov, we did a lot more than just search your office. We found the cash you've been harbouring in the safe, we found your record books...but we also searched the entire building, including the freezers. Do you want to hazard a guess as to what we found in there?"

Galina's eyes widened in horror and her legs and hands actually began to shake uncontrollably, making the metal handcuff jangle. Though she didn't know with absolute certainty, Galina certainly could hazard a guess as to what might have been in the freezer that the police had found so interesting. She wasn't involved in that and never had been. She'd trained herself not to look or question. She avoided the section of her freezer that Ganya used for his own purposes. She'd even given him and his goons their own keys to access the place without her needing to be present. Yet, she was still involved. She'd allowed this to go on and not done anything about it. That was a fact she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

Detective Walsh, growing impatient at the lack of forthcoming from her, flipped open the file folder. He made sure she got a look at the stilled-images of herself captured from the bank's video footage, of the endless pile of papers that held evidence of every illicit dealing they knew her to have been involved in. Then at the very bottom, Detective Walsh pulled out a stack of polaroids.

"We'll have more images developed and clearer for court, but maybe these will jostle your memory," Detective Walsh said.

As though he was a jack dealer, the detective began setting the polaroids flat down on the table facing her. One at a time he uncovered a new image. The bundled objects, similar to the ones Galina had gotten close to many years ago when Dmitri had permitted the Russian mafia to drop off their first set of "packages". They'd remained covered then, but the police had unwrapped these current bundles to reveal the horror within. Unsurprisingly, they were body parts. Pictures of an arm, a leg, a head...all frozen and terrifying were set in front of her. Galina stared at them for quite awhile and continued to shake, until she couldn't resist averting her eyes. She really felt like she was going to be sick now.

"We're waiting for the coroner's report," Detective Walsh said gravely, once he had finished uncovering all of his pictures. "However, we don't have to wait for that to see that these two men have been murdered. Hopefully we'll be able to identify them and give some closure to the families that must miss them."

"This man," Detective Walsh actually picked up a polaroid of a severed head and held it right in front of her eyes so she couldn't avoid staring at it. "I'd estimate him to be about fifty. He probably has a wife, a couple of kids…."

He let go of the image and allowed it to float back down to the table. Then he picked up the shot of the other severed head.

"This man...I don't even want to call him a man because he looks so young to me. What do you think, Mrs. Reznikov? He doesn't appear to be much older than your own sons. He must have a mother somewhere…"

"Stop!" Galina begged, her entire body quivering as the detective set the horrific image back down on the table. "Please...I don't know anything about them."

"You don't know who these men are?" Detective Walsh asked.

"No!" Galina exclaimed.

"What about your husband?"

"No!" Galina said again, with an equal amount of vigor. "Dmitri doesn't know a thing. He would never do such a thing. Neither of us would…"

"But obviously someone you know did," Detective Walsh pressed. "Somebody that you gave access to your store did this. I need names, Mrs. Reznikov. Give me that now and I'll have you home before your children go to sleep tonight. You'll be able to put this all behind you."

Galina shook her head immediately. There was no way. She wasn't an idiot. If she talked and named names, she'd be dead before she made it home and that was nothing compared to what could happen to her family if she betrayed Ganya or anybody connected to him.

"I understand that you are afraid," Detective Walsh said more gently. "But if you help me then I will help you…"

"You can't help me…" Galina whispered.

"I don't think you killed these men," Detective Walsh said.

"I didn't."

"But what else am I to assume when the bodies were found in your store and you won't tell me who put them there?"

Galina had no answer to this question, although the detective didn't seem to expect one from her. He slowly began to gather up his photographs, one by one, taking care to ensure that she got a glimpse of each one before he stacked them.

"We're aware of a lot of seedy activity happening in this city," Detective Walsh informed her. "These two men are not the only victims. I'm sure there are more, just like I am positive that these aren't the only bodies that were stored in your freezer at some point in time. The problem is, we've never been able to nail down the top guys responsible for all this. That's because they hide behind smaller people, like yourself."

"These bosses like to bully hardworking people for their last dime and get them to do the dirty work so they remain undetected and reap the benefits. I know you didn't want to do this. And if you'll just be honest with me then we will protect you, and your family. I'm giving you a chance to do the right thing here."

Galina's hands were gripping tight to the edge of the table and her lips were pressed tightly together as she'd listened to what the detective had to say. He made it sound so simple and she knew that was because they wanted their big fish. She could serve Ganya to them on a silver platter. She'd worked head to head with him for years. She knew how he schemed and scammed because he'd taught her how to do it, how to line his pocket and grow his wealth for him. She also knew that he was dangerous. That even if Ganya had never put a gun to someone's head or mutilated a corpse, it was under his command that these murders had taken place.

"This interview is over," a deep voice thundered through the room as the door swung open and revealed a tall man with a balding head and a small grey goatee.

"Who are you?" Detective Walsh asked with a frown.

"Mrs. Reznikov's attorney," he replied.

"What?" Galina asked in confusion. "Attorney...I didn't ask for a lawyer."

"It's been taken care of," he assured her. "My name is Nikolai Mikhailov."

"The Russian mob hired you to keep her quiet?" Detective Walsh asked angrily.

"How I was paid is none of your business," Nikolai replied. "Now if you'll give me a minute with my client...you never even should have begun speaking to her without legal representation present."

"She didn't ask," Detective Walsh retorted. He closed his file and stood up. He gave Galina a final meaningful look before huffing deeply and walking out of the room. Galina waited until the door had closed behind him before she turned her attention back onto her attorney.

"Did Ganya send you?" she asked breathlessly. The sight of him gave her a glimmer of hope. Perhaps she hadn't been abandoned. Ganya was an intelligent man and if he had foreseen her arrest, known she was being watched...perhaps he had also been devising a way to save her.

"Yes," Nikolai said simply, as he sat down in the detective's abandoned chair. "But maybe I was too late? What have you told them?"

"Nothing!" Galina assured him. "I haven't said a word. They already know about everything though…"

"No, they don't," Nikolai shook his head.

"They know all about the money," Galina insisted. "He said they have enough proof to send me to prison for ten years just for that, and they found two bodies! They know that two people were murdered."

Galina felt like an icy cold hand was wrapped around her heart as the photographs the detective had forced her to look at came back to the front of her mind. She knew she wouldn't forget those images for a very long time. Two victims, and the many others that had passed her way. Those men probably hadn't done anything besides be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or perhaps they had entered in willingly with Ganya until they'd gotten cold feet about what they were being asked to do and tried to get out. Guilty or innocent, likely a little of both-just like herself, Galina felt physically pained at the horrific sight of their mutilated bodies. They probably did have families, jobs, and lives that were about more than just involvement with the Russian Mafia. And now they were dead.

"They don't know who was responsible for the murders," Nikolai said indifferently. "The only way they would be able to find that out would be if you or your husband told them. And you're both smart enough not to do that, huh?"

"But they'll blame me for it…"

"They can't," Nikolai replied knowingly. "There's no murder weapon, you have no association or knowledge of who these men are, no fingerprints since you've never handled the bodies. All they've got is that they were found on your property…. you're not going to be charged with murder."

"But...something," Galina insisted, and she couldn't hold back a moment longer. She'd been strong for far too long. The tears she'd been holding back flowed down her cheeks like a waterfall and as she reached up to brush them away, her progress was halted as she pulled at the binding and remembered she was handcuffed. This only made her cry harder, her shoulders trembling as her lawyer sat across the table from her and calmly unsnapped his briefcase.

"I need you to calm down and listen to me, Galina," Nikolai said, not even bothering to look at her, as he scribbled something down on a legal pad he had pulled out of his briefcase.

"I realize that you're scared, but that's because the detective was trying to scare you with a worse case scenario so that you would talk," he said, finally looking up at her. The black eyes that pierced her seemed cold and threatening.

"The prosecution is going to tell you that if you give them names, they will let you go, but that isn't what will happen. Naming other people is just going to help you convict yourself because you are complicit. Not to mention, doing that will make a lot of powerful people very angry."

"I wasn't going to…" Galina shook her head. She wanted her loyalty very clear so that when this lawyer reported back to Ganya he would understand that she was still trustworthy. She wasn't going to get on his bad side for anything. She knew better.

"You don't speak to anybody without me there from now on, understood?" Nikolai said sternly.

"Yes," Galina nodded.

"You might _think_ that you have valuable information to give to the police about Ganya, but just remember that he has people stationed everywhere. Even working here right now. Everything you do will get back to him. And Ganya is not a man that you want to make angry...at least not if those three precious boys of yours mean as much to you as they seem to."

She looked up at him through her red rimmed and bloodshot eyes. This was not a game and this lawyer was even more of a threat to her than the authorities that had threatened to lock her up in prison for years. She'd made the choices that had led her to here, but her hands had always seemed tied down with the impossible. Now she really was shackled down in the literal sense and there was no choice in the matter. There was only survival and doing what she had to do to take care of her boys.

"Ganya knows he can trust me," Galina said softly. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Two Years Later…**

"Reznikov, let's go."

The order came from a young correctional officer who had just walked unceremoniously into the medical unit where Galina Reznikov was sitting on the edge of the bed she'd been assigned. There were two hospital grade beds in this room, the one nearest to the door currently vacant. The mattresses were thick and comfortable, not luxurious, but the sort of bed most people were accustomed to sleeping on regularly. Had it not been for her serious injuries and the pain that kept her up at night, staying here might have felt more like an extended vacation. At least when compared with sleeping on a hard cot in a dormitory with countless other women.

"I'm taking you back to the camp," the guard explained. From a loop on his belt buckle he pulled out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs and waved them in front of her.

"I need to cuff you before we head up."

"I know the drill," she replied flatly, briefly recalling how humiliating and horrifying it had been the first time she'd been cuffed by the arresting officer she'd met outside her store. Now it was just a matter of fact, a routine aspect in the life of a prisoner, and there was no use getting upset about it.

Still seated on the bed, trying to prolong the time until she would be forced to stand on her own, she held her arms out in front of herself cooperatively. The handcuffs were shackled onto her wrists in two clicks and then at last she stood.

"You sure you're ready for this?" the guard asked, gripping her elbow tightly more in an act of humanity than for control, as she wavered slightly on her feet.

"Oh, yes," she replied, rounding her shoulders back and focusing on centering herself so that she'd be able to make the trek back to camp without incident.

They probably would have kept her under observation for at least another week. Actually, the doctor who'd authorized her release from the medical unit that morning had advised against it before ultimately abiding by her wishes. There really was no reason to keep her lying in bed once her broken ribs and concussion had begun to heal anyway. Though she still needed rest and recuperation, life in prison didn't stop for anyone and she was eager to get back into the game and return to defend the territory she had carved out for herself at Litchfield's Minimum-Security Prison.

Nothing could be more important than that.

It had been so ironic to walk into the prison kitchen for the first time and see another inmate unloading familiar wooden cartons of produce from _Neptune's_ onto the counter. The sight of those boxes had filled her with resentment and distaste, before she'd figured out how to make it work for her.

Ganya had been willing when she'd had Dmitri relay a message from her to him. He respected the strength and acceptance with which she had accepted her prison sentence. And though he'd essentially threatened her to ensure she'd do just that, Ganya still appreciated how she had protected him and his assets, keeping all suspicions away from himself.

Hiding little treats and home comforts among the fruits and vegetables he sent to the prison had been nothing, and it had worked out even better when they'd begun collecting payments and fulfilling orders for the other inmates as well. Even from prison, Galina Reznikov was still highly of use to him and Ganya was pleased to see that she was smart enough not to hold a grudge against him for what had transpired.

Or perhaps she just hadn't learned anything.

Hitting rock bottom, being arrested, and accepting a guilty plea that ensured she'd be locked away for a long time hadn't been enough to keep her from utilizing her connection to _Neptune's_ to gain power in the prison. While she'd arrived at prison afraid and humbled, intent to stay on the straight and arrow to avoid anything more going wrong, when it came down to it, she really did have nothing to lose. Her association with Ganya was a unique advantage that had wholly improved her quality of life at Litchfield. The respect she gained from her ability to smuggle in contraband that other inmates desired was priceless and allowed her to climb up the prison ladder. Although it ultimately had painted a huge target on her back.

"Healy wants to see you in his office first," the guard spoke as they entered the camp grounds and he removed her handcuffs.

She nodded, trying to disguise the way her chest was heaving and her heart pounding, just from the exertion of walking. Exercise of any sort was likely to be a challenge for awhile until she returned to full strength. She'd been injured badly and bedridden for weeks. It was only natural that she would be a little dizzy and lack stamina, but it would do her no good to show any signs of weakness around here.

"You sure you're alright, Red?"

Being called by the name she'd dubbed herself with since her first day of prison was like an electrical jolt that energized her to full capacity and reminded her of where she was once again. Red, was the strong woman who had scary associations with the Russian mob, which was indebted to her after her taking the fall for their whole operation. Red, was the woman who ruled the kitchen with an iron fist, was competent, formidable, and capable of getting you what you desired (within reason) because she had connections to the outside. She was respected and admired by inmates and the administration alike. Red was able to survive in a place where Galina would have floundered. Something as simple as a name could have a profound effect on how you considered yourself.

"Of course, I am," Red answered strongly. She pulled her shoulders back and gave the young correctional officer one of her haughtiest looks. "I'll head there now."

At the guard's nod of dismissal, Red turned to confidently walk into the building and down the hall to where the counsellor's office was located. Sam Healy had been one of the first people she had met upon arrival at this prison. A good man, around her own age. Healy had paid her several visits in medical and relayed messages from her husband, which she hadn't bothered to reply to yet. As her counsellor, it had been Healy's responsibility to inform her next of kin about what had happened.

Healy's claims that Dmitri was very worried about her and would appreciate a phone call had fallen on deaf ears. Whatever he was pretending to be now, the fact of the matter was that her husband had never been there for her like she'd needed and though she'd made bad choices, he was still at least partially responsible for her being imprisoned in the first place.

Red had no patience to listen to her husband's decrees of regret, remorse, or worry whilst he remained at home, with their children, comfortable and unaffected from the repercussions of both of their choices. At least aside from losing his full-time cook, maid, and childcare provider, Dmitri's life hadn't really changed. He'd managed to avoid any charges for his role in the mafia, due greatly in part for the fact that his wife had made a statement in court that had her take full responsibility for the crimes committed in their store.

As much as Dmitri did irritate her, Red had never even seriously considered bringing him into her mess, even if that might have shaved a few years off of her sentence. It simply wasn't worth it. She was going to prison no matter what and bringing him down with her would have just been foolish. Not only that, but it would have deprived her sons of the only parent they had left. Dmitri had never been very involved in their upbringing, preferring to leave the weight of everything solely on her shoulders, but he was still their father and that counted for something.

From what she heard, Red sensed that her imprisonment had brought Dmitri and their sons closer together, the way tragedy often did. They'd been completely lost without her in the beginning and the whole family had seemed to be on a downward spiral without her there to hold them all together. Dmitri was a poor replacement for her shoes, and Red knew that the boys had been fending for themselves in ways they'd never needed to before. Fortunately, they were resilient and the two years that had come and gone had gotten them adjusted to a new form of normal, which no longer included their mother.

Red didn't phone home much, feeding her family excuses as to why she couldn't. She didn't see what good it possibly could do. Each time she spoke to them was nearly unbearable, and it would take her days to begin feeling moderately okay again after. She tried not to think about them too much, hoping to spare herself more pain. It was the hardest thing she had ever needed to do. Since the first moment she'd cradled her newborn Yuri in her arms, her life had revolved around being a mother and prioritizing her children over all else. Suddenly, she didn't have that. She was all alone here now and not in a position to do anything for her sons. She'd needed to look away, and she truly believed it was the best thing for her boys as well. They needed to learn to live without her. It was the hardest lesson they had ever been given but distance seemed essential for them all to get through this.

Taken away from her family, Red had different priorities now. She had only herself to depend on in here, and really only herself to worry about. All that seemed to matter was maintaining the strong reputation she had worked to forge since shortly after her arrival. She knew with absolute certainty that the last thing she could allow herself to be perceived as was weak. That was why it had been crucial to return to the general population as soon as she'd been decreed moderately healed.

The last time she had been seen by her prison peer group, she'd been whimpering on her own kitchen floor with blood on her face, not able to bring enough air into her chest to sustain herself. Red didn't want to be cooped up in bed after an attack like that for too long. Already she could only imagine the rumours circulating around the prison about herself. She'd fought to be discharged as soon as she could, intent on beating the odds, returning quickly enough to impress those who'd observed her suffering, and show her attackers they'd messed with the wrong person.

XXX

Healy's door was partially ajar, so Red let herself in, bumping her fist against the door once to announce her arrival.

"Welcome back," Healy said warmly, lowering the pen he'd been writing with down onto his desk.

"Thank you," Red said thickly. She concentrated on lowering herself into the chair in front of his desk without wincing or displaying any sign of discomfort upon her face.

Her ribs were still painful and her jaw ached from the blows to the face she had suffered, but on a surface level at least, she knew she looked good. Most of the bruising and swelling in her features had gone down, and what still was detectable had been covered with makeup she'd applied that morning. Foundation blended into the still yellowish tinge around her eye and jawbone. To counteract the way the coverage made her porcelain skin look even paler, Red had learned to apply a pink blush to the apples of her cheeks. Winged black eyeliner, a thick coating of mascara, and the dark red she'd painted her lips with did not suggest at all that she had spent the better part of a month recovering in bed.

"You look like you're doing better," Healy said, looking her over with a critical eye.

"I feel better," Red said simply. She stroked her hand back over her long mane of red hair, clenching a mass of it in her fist. She'd worn it the same way for all of her adult life, hung loose around her shoulders or pulled back in a bun or ponytail when she was working. All of a sudden, her tresses were bothering her. A trademark symbol of a person who was girlish and naive, and who didn't exist anymore. At least not in here.

"And you still haven't been able to remember who it was who attacked you in the kitchen that day?" Healy asked sternly.

"It's not a case of not remembering," Red replied smoothly, releasing her hair and leaning her back against the chair. "I was attacked from behind and didn't see who it was."

"Romano didn't seem to see them either," Healy said flatly, the look he pierced her with letting her know he didn't believe a word she was telling him.

"Norma found me after they'd already left," Red replied, as her mind flashed back to how frightening it had been to see her closest friend blocked by two women, while three more took turns kicking at herself as she fell to the floor and knew nobody was going to get help. Vee hadn't even bothered to stay and watch her ordered assault. After dealing Red the first blow across the face, she had walked away without any remorse and left her gang to finish the job.

"Galina," Healy's voice spoke softly, and the sound of that name made Red lower her eyes down to her lap. So lyrical and gentle. Nobody called her that now, aside from Dmitri during his visits and the rare times they spoke on the phone. For Healy to use that now felt exceedingly personal, as though he felt he had the right to try and connect to the woman she used to be, who didn't belong in here.

"If you tell me who it was, I can help you," Healy was saying softly.

At that Red could barely hold back a derisive laugh. She'd heard that line before and however well-intentioned Sam Healy might be, she knew it was complete bullshit. Nobody could help her and giving someone up, even someone she despised and who deserved it, would make everyone in the prison population regard her with suspicion. You didn't name people to the guards, just like you didn't identify a mafia boss, like Ganya, to the police and expect to walk away unscathed.

"Healy, I know you mean well but this isn't a battle you can fight for me, and it's not one I need your help with either," Red told him confidently. "I can handle myself."

At that Healy's lips twitched into the slightest flicker of a smile. News of Red's attack had spread through the prison and though the administration had suspicions of who was behind it, without her confirmation they were powerless to proceed. However, what had transpired had only intensified the respect allocated to the woman who had been doing such a stellar job of running the kitchen for the past two years. Everyone knew the assault was undeserved and her refusal to name names had proven that she could be trusted.

"That you can," he acknowledged.

He leaned back in his chair, arms folded overtop his expansive middle as their eyes locked on one another. Healy observed the way Red's own clear blue narrowed and just how her lips thinned as she braced herself for where she feared he was going. She wasn't wrong.

"Have you spoken to your family?"

"Healy!" Red said sharply, instantaneously breaking their eye contact as she looked towards the door in disgruntlement. Such a sensitive subject. They'd been all she could concentrate on two years ago when she'd sat anxious and distressed in this very office as a new inmate, but now it was like they didn't exist.

"You've been seriously injured," Healy said gently, as though she needed reminding. "Your husband has called inquiring about you several times. I know it can be difficult, but don't you think he deserves some peace of mine? Your sons-"

"If Dmitri saw fit to tell three children that their mother was beaten within an inch of her life then he is even more of an idiot than I ever gave him credit for," Red said coldly.

She shook her head and closed her eyes briefly. "There's nothing I can do for them that will make any of this easier…"

"They aren't children anymore," Healy reminded her. "They're young men. You need to let them decide for themselves what they can handle."

"Well, I tried that with my oldest and he essentially drove all the way up here just to tell me to fuck off and then leave without even a hug goodbye," Red said flatly, as though the memory of Yuri's first and only visit hadn't been like a dagger through her heart.

"Did he really say that?" Healy asked pointedly.

"May as well have," Red shrugged, shifting slightly in her chair and then wincing in pain from the aggravation to her ribcage.

She'd been at Litchfield for the better part of three weeks when Yuri had surprised her by driving up to the prison in Anna's parents' car for visitation. He'd said it was because he wanted to make sure she was alright, but once they'd taken their seats across the table from one another he'd found it nearly impossible to look at her or carry on any semblance of a normal conversation.

He'd shrugged off her inquiries about his brothers and home, before admitting that he hadn't been to the apartment in weeks and he'd barely spoken to any of them. It was a shocking statement for Red to hear, because her sons had always been inseparable. It just reinforced that her poor choices had done more than take away her freedom. Without her there to hold everything together, the family was falling apart.

"Why didn't your father tell me any of this?" Red had asked in distress.

"I don't know, Ma," Yuri had shaken his head. "Does it matter? Do you really want to hear about how hard everything has been? About how Max and Vasily don't even want to go to school because everyone in the neighbourhood is talking about you? Unless you want me to lie to you, I don't know why you're even trying to get any sort of reassurance that things are going okay for us. They aren't...and maybe they were right, and this was a mistake."

"Who's they? What are you talking about?" she had asked.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Yuri had replied honestly. "I don't think any of us are."

Yuri hadn't been back since and neither of his brothers had come to see her either. She had told Dmitri not to bring them. She didn't need another one of her sons showing up just to make her feel worse than she already did and seeing her in prison was hardly going to be a reassuring sight for them anyway. It was a very peculiar situation to be in. After devoting her entire life to those boys and sacrificing everything to give them the life she thought they deserved, it was a blow to realize she was the worse thing for them right now.

"Don't you think he might have cooled down since then?" Healy asked. "Do you write? Do you call?"

"He knows where to find me," Red said coldly.

Healy compressed his lips together so that he would not be tempted to say anymore. He was not a parent, he couldn't comprehend what she was going through and, in the years, since he had begun working at Litchfield, he'd observed the different ways women had to cope with the loss of their children while they did their time. Disconnecting to some degree was crucial to the inmate's well-being, but it never ceased to be a tragedy.

"Is that all?" Red asked sharply, her hands clenching into fists and then unclenching rhythmically. "I'm feeling tired and I'd like to go lay down."

"Okay," Healy said with a sigh, glancing down at the file folder he had lying open on his desk. "I've got you in room 1A. Bunk three on the bottom."

XXX

"Red!" Anita DeMarco exclaimed. "You're back to join the land of the living!"

Red raised her eyebrows and offered the other woman a small smile which looked more like a smirk, as her eyes twinkled ominously.

"Was there ever any doubt?" she asked, stepping into the small room that contained four metal bunk beds that could house eight occupants.

New inmates were always put in these rooms upon arrival. The closer quarters and the seclusion from the livelier dormitories ensured the guards could keep a closer eye on them. Likewise, inmates, like Red, who were returning to camp following sickness or injury, or who had been committed to the SHU for a time, were given a temporary bed in here. Anita DeMarco, was one of the hall's permanent residents. She'd suffered a heart attack her first night in prison.

Red dropped the laundry bag and pile of linens she'd been given onto the bare mattress across from DeMarco, feeling an uncanny sense of Deja vu as she did. It suddenly struck her how ironic it was for her to have been so eager to be back here, to return to the general population, and her job in the prison kitchen. In the past two years her world had become very small and she'd gotten completely sucked in to this new existence.

Unlike the first time she had been in this very room, back when she'd first arrived at this prison, Red wasn't longing for home or mourning the freedom she had lost. Such things were completely unattainable and wishing for the impossible was a waste of time. Instead, Red desired what she felt she could make happen for herself in this camp. She wanted to get back to work, catch up with the friendships she had made, and continue to sell her contraband in order to keep her status and make a little profit. Her life had completely changed, but it still wasn't over. A victim mentality was not going to do her any good.

"I'd heard Vee really gave it to you," DeMarco said in a hushed voice. She glanced nervously up towards the new inmate clad in orange, fast asleep on the bunk above her, and then she looked back over at Red.

"That was who did it, huh?" she asked. "Everyone was talking about it…"

"Vee didn't do anything," Red rolled her eyes. She pulled out the white sheet and began to fold it over the mattress, ensuring her edges were pulled tight to military precision.

"She didn't?" DeMarco frowned, looking completely confused. "But I thought-"

"People like Vee can never do anything for themselves," Red explained coyly, her lips twitching as she downplayed the actions of a woman she had every reason to fear, but refused to.

"Vee had to get a group of followers to hurt me for her. She is only as strong as the people she gets to do her dirty work. Without them, she's nothing. I know a lot of people like that."

Red reached for her thin prison issued pillow and began to slide the white case over top of it. As her fingers worked, she found her eyes getting heavier. She really had already overexerted herself that day. She was looking forward to laying down for a rest just as soon as she finished making up her bed. Heading into the kitchen to see Norma and check over everything would need to wait. At least she thought she was doing an adequate job of exuding a confidence that would show everyone that Vee couldn't intimidate or keep her down.

"And this was all over your 'connections'?" DeMarco asked curiously, excited to be the first person to see Red and hear the side of the story everyone had been waiting to hear. They had known one another since their first night in Litchfield, having been brought in at the same time. DeMarco never would have thought that the terrified and quiet woman she had seen that day, would essentially be running things around the prison now. She had underestimated Galina Reznikov back then, but now she was impressed by her.

"Mhmm," Red nodded casually. She tossed the pillow aside and then began to tuck the blanket up over the bed sheet.

"A person like Vee is also not very good at coming up with their own ideas," Red said dismissively. "She watches to see what other people are doing and then swoops in to try and take control of it."

It wasn't lost on Red how much describing Vee's actions paralleled those of Ganya. She could have been describing her old boss. Ganya surrounded himself with people brawny enough to carry out his dastardlier deeds, or intelligent people like herself who could create his business opportunities and keep him sitting comfortably.

She'd been officially sentenced on charges for Racketeering, which carried with it a prison sentence of nearly two decades. The charges weren't wrong and deep-down Red knew she couldn't dispute them. She had knowingly broken the law, committed fraudulent acts, and acquired a lot of illegal money through the mafia's activity. Yet, all along she'd been nothing but a pawn to be used for Ganya's own benefit. He was enjoying a life of wealth and freedom, made on the backs of people like herself that had thrown themselves under the bus to protect him. Red wasn't about to become that for Vee now, even if she threatened to break every bone in her body.

"Has she tried anything since I've been in medical?" Red asked, sighing in relief as she at last was able to sit down on her cot.

"Honestly, I think she's been laying pretty low," DeMarco replied. "A little worried you might wake up from your coma and tell the police who did it."

"I was never in a coma," Red frowned. "I've just been in medical enjoying a bed made from a real mattress with pillows that were not paper thin. I could have been back a week ago, but I figured I'd indulge in another relaxing week."

"Sounds pretty nice," DeMarco smiled. "Maybe I should fake another heart attack and get myself admitted for a night or two."

"You could try," Red acknowledged. She leaned her hand back and worked slowly to gently maneuver herself into a lying down position. She was trying to hide just how breathless the simple task of making a bed currently was for her. The way her lungs were heaving to take in more air was causing a stabbing pain in her rib.

She'd rest for awhile and then she would get up to see her kitchen and face the rest of the women when she was fresh. Seeing Vee and her accomplices was going to be a challenge, and only to herself could Red admit how that intimidated her. She didn't think they would be foolish enough to try anything though. The administration still wanted to know who had assaulted her, and though Red would never name names, she knew she was being watched too closely at present for her to be targeted again…at least for now. In that way, she had won.

Tucking her legs up closer to her chest, Red had just closed her eyes and begun to drift of when a voice came over the crackly intercom to begin listing off the names of those who had visitors. She grimaced as the roll was called, her preoccupation with her return to camp had completely caused her to overlook the fact that today was a visitation day. Dmitri rarely missed a week and though in the beginning Red had counted the minutes until his arrival, she hadn't much enjoyed seeing him for awhile. She was acclimated into her life here and had people-people she could honestly say she preferred the company of over her husband. Instead of clinging to him like a life vessel, her one remaining link to outside, Dmitri now served more as a painful reminder. There was nothing he could say that couldn't be shared over the telephone, and one thing that hadn't surprised Red during her hospital stay, was that she hadn't missed him.

"Did he say my name?" Red grumbled, opening one heavy eyelid to glance over at Anita DeMarco.

"Yep," DeMarco replied. "You better hurry, Red."

"Do you think if I just lie here and ignore it, they'll send him away?" she sighed, pressing her still slightly tender cheek back into her pillow. Healy must have given word to Dmitri that she was being released from the medical wing today. Otherwise, how would he have known she was available to visit?

"Get up, woman," DeMarco scoffed, with a shake of her head. "You should be grateful your hubby comes to visit you so faithfully. Mine hasn't been here in six months!"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Red said, gritting her teeth as she used one hand to struggle herself back up into a sitting position. "Sometimes I don't mind prison when I realize it's the first break I've gotten from that man since I was twenty-two. Is it wrong that I find two hundred criminal women to be less irritating?"

"Considering one of them tried to have you killed, I'm going to go with yes," DeMarco replied with a chuckle. Red didn't share much into the details of her marriage, aside from an overall tone of discontentment. That didn't necessarily mean much. Being married for as long as they had been, a little bit of resentment was probably only natural.

"It would take more than that to get rid of me," Red replied. She pulled out the compact mirror from her shower bag to make sure her makeup was still effectively disguising her bruising. Her eyeliner had smudged slightly, making it look ever more dramatic, but she decided she liked the effect.

"I guess, I might as well get going," Red said wistfully.

"He drove all this way," DeMarco reminded her, feeling a little sorry for the man whose wife showed him such little interest. A lot of husbands wouldn't stand by their wives after they were sentenced to prison. Most relationships didn't last six months once they got in here.

"That has to count for something," she proceeded to say. "Although, I guess, I can admit that it surprised me to see you with a man like him the first time he came to visit."

"That's what all the guests at our wedding were thinking," Red replied bluntly.

XXX

Red and Dmitri's visits had become predictable and monotonous very quickly. She never delved into the details of what life was like in prison, always maintaining an aura of calmness and control that she hoped would be a source of reassurance to her boys if they asked their father how she was. Their conversations almost entirely consisted of their sons' news and discussions about the shop, which Dmitri was trying to keep running himself now that she was locked up. Red didn't even want to think about what the place might look like with him in charge but she wanted him to keep it going and offered as much advice and instruction as she could from the inside. Red liked thinking of the light at the end of the tunnel, when she'd finally get released and hopefully return to running the place herself once again.

What would her life be like then? It was a frightening question. She was going to become an old woman while she sat in prison doing her time. When she was released, her sons would be middle-aged, mere shadows of the little boys she'd once loved and nurtured with such joy. She would hardly recognize them. Not only that, but the world could hardly be expected to stay the same. Always changing and always evolving, If Galina had thought immigrating to America from Russia had been a culture shock, she could only imagine what it would be like to transition from captivity to freedom.

It might be too much to hope that she'd have Dmitri to lean on for a second time. Already he'd stopped kissing her lips hello and goodbye, pecking her cheek before taking his seat across from her. She'd served him all her marriage-bringing up their children, keeping house, and satisfying him sexually too. All of a sudden, she was nothing but a burden to him, and it was Dmitri's turn to be there for her. She wondered if guilt would be enough to sustain him over such a long separation or if he would eventually tire and move on with his life. Would she even recognize the signs?

Dmitri had never fulfilled her or been all that she needed but he was still somebody, and she couldn't imagine what would happen if she didn't have him to go home to. It seemed silly to worry-she wasn't going anywhere for a long time. However, as she lined up to walk into the visitation room, Red resolved to be nicer to him today. DeMarco was right that showing up for her regularly was something than the majority of the men didn't do for their incarcerated partners. That had to count for something, and Red made a mental note to tell her husband that she appreciated it before he left.

XXX

As soon as she stepped into the visitation room though, Red was forced to do a double take. Her feet froze to the floor, feeling as heavy as if they had been buried beneath cement. No amount of blush applied to her cheeks could have hidden her paleness as she felt all the blood leave her face, and a suddenly strong need to sit down before she fell over. Dmitri hadn't come to see her today, and nothing had prepared her for the sight that had befallen her.

"Maxim? Vasily?" their names were stuck in the back of her throat, barely audible as her voice crackled.

With difficulty, Red forced herself to lift her heavy feet from the floor and walk over to the table where both of her boys were sitting side-by-side. They hadn't taken their eyes off of her since she'd emerged, both sets were open wide in an astonishment they seemed incapable of disguising. Their hands were gripping tightly to the edge of the table and their feet were flat on the floor. It was her first sight of them in over two years.

Her hands reached out to cling to the chair intended for her. While all the inmates around them were embracing their family members, Red could only continue to stare at hers with a mixture of shock, horror, and a little bit of longing. It was like seeing a pair of ghosts and neither of her sons had made a move to approach her yet. They were looking as unsure about this meeting as she was. Red wondered if their father knew they were here, after she'd told Dmitri to keep them away. And she highly doubted their big brother would approve of them coming.

"My God," Red nearly gasped, biting down hard on her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. She took a deep steadying breath, trying to calm the swooshing of emotions coursing through every cell in her body.

"My God...look at you," she whispered. All she could see was the differences in them. The way Maxim had a beard stubble on his chin, even though he'd probably only shaved the night before. Even sitting down, she could tell that Vasily had gotten so tall. He was easily the tallest of his brothers and would now tower over his mother if he stood beside her. They both looked like grown men, and the truth was that they were. Maxim had just celebrated his 18th birthday and Vasily had gotten his learner's permit to drive the month before.

"Is it okay that we're here, Ma?" Maxim asked awkwardly.

 _Ma_

The term of endearment echoed over and over in her head and she didn't know how to respond. It sounded so foreign in this place and the lump of shame building up in her abdomen was making her feel like her insides were tied into a knot. Everyone around her was beginning to take their seats, and because she didn't know what else to do and didn't want to get yelled at by a guard in front of her sons for not taking her place, Red sat down too.

" _My God, look at me,"_ she thought to herself in distress. She was seated across from them, in a khaki jumpsuit with an identification tag clipped to the front. Her sons had rarely even seen her in pants much before now. She'd usually worn dresses or skirts, nothing very trendy but she'd always given off the impression of a lady. It was awful to have her sons seeing her like this. Though they had likely mentally concocted images of what she would look like and what they would expect, she could tell from their faces that nothing could have prepared them for this first visit to see their mother in prison. It was why she had never wanted them to come.

"I don't know…" Red said hesitantly. Her hands were set on the table like they were required to be, and she folded them together so that she would not feel tempted to try and reach out to touch her sons in any way. That just didn't feel right to her now. They didn't feel like hers.

"I don't know what to say," Red clarified. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to see you," Vasily replied.

"Well, I surmised as much," Red answered tightly. "But why? I told you not to. Does your father know that you are here?"

"Pop was going to come today," Maxim told her softly. "But he caught the flu and Kl-couldn't make the drive. We didn't want you to be alone if you were expecting him."

"I wasn't expecting him, actually," Red replied. "I know he can't come every single week and it is not your boys/ responsibility to fill in for him. Nobody should see their mother in a place like this."

At that, Vasily's eyes shifted off of his mother to glance around the room towards the noise being made by a babbling baby in the corner and from several other children who had obviously come to spend the afternoons with their moms. It hurt him to feel so dismissed by his own mother. It wasn't his fault that they were forced to meet in a place like this and it wasn't easy, but the hardest part was feeling so unwanted. His mother didn't even look happy to see them. Had she missed them at all?

"Well...we'll leave if you really want us to," Maxim said finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over their table. Red had begun scratching the back of her hand with her fingernails, irritating the dry skin which was already beginning to pinken.

"I just don't know why you're mad at us," he added. "We never did anything to cause this."

"Of course, you didn't," Red exclaimed, ceasing her scratching to stare back up at her middle child. "None of you boys have done anything wrong. Everything that is wrong has been done _to_ you. I'm not upset with either of you. I'm just upset that you're here."

"Well...no offense, Ma, but we're pretty upset that you're here too," Vasily said bluntly. "That's what shouldn't have happened."

"And yet it did," Red said tightly. "This is where I am and I can't change that for you. I would if I could."

"That doesn't mean you need to stop being our mother," Maxim replied.

"I'll always be your mother," Red said softly, not looking at them. Her hands resumed their anxious scratching.

"You don't even call us anymore," Vasily pointed out.

"Because I have nothing to say," his mother replied stubbornly.

She paused as she saw the look of hurt that flashed through both of their eyes. They looked at one another and, in a moment, she felt a sudden surge of panic, that she might have gone too far. That they might stand up and walk away, and this was the last she would ever see of them. That couldn't happen.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, staring down at her irritated hands. "This is embarrassing...nothing I say will make up for it…"

She was being forced to face the guilt and truth that she tried so hard to forget about most of the time. It was the last thing she needed right now. Her body was a mixture of sharp and throbbing pains, her head was aching profusely, and her broken heart had her internally crying. Two of her three sons were sitting across from her, begging to be loved. They'd driven all that way to seek reassurance and everything she was saying was wrong. She just didn't know how to love them anymore. She'd forgotten how to be their mother.

"I love you boys very much," she told them, locking eyes with Maxim and then Vasily, though it pained her to do so. Her voice felt flat and the words sounded odd, but she meant them with her whole heart.

"And your brother too. I love you three with everything I have, even if Yuri hates me now. Even if you two hate me sometimes. It's okay. You're allowed to. I really let you down and you deserve so much more than me. It's because I love you so much that I told you not to come. I don't want to hurt you more than I already have. I don't want you seeing me this way."

"I don't want to see you here either, Ma," Vasily replied. "But it's better than never seeing you at all."

"And I _am_ glad to see you," Red said in a quivering voice. Her eyes flooded with unshed tears and she wiped them away as quickly as they appeared. Though, for once, her mind wasn't on what the other women in the prison would think of her being emotional. She just didn't want to upset her sons by crying. They had her completely undivided attention right now.

"I've missed you," she whispered.

Vasily stretched his arm across the table first, and Maxim was quick to follow. Red unclenched her own intertwined fingers so that she could accept their hands. Rough, warm, and much larger than hers, they enveloped her. She squeezed them back. She was being forced to face the true tragedy of her situation. That she was in here and apart from them. In a short time, they would be leaving to return home and she couldn't go with them. She couldn't be there.

"Maxim, do you remember how excited you were on your first day of kindergarten?" Red asked suddenly.

"I was excited to go to school?" Maxim asked, raising his eyebrows at her. He wasn't sure about the sudden change in his mother's tone, or where her mind was going, but he waited for her to continue.

"Oh, yes," Red nodded. "You couldn't wait to be a big boy like Yuri. You talked about school all summer and wore your backpack around the store everyday."

"What a nerd," Vasily teased his brother.

"I thought you might get cold feet when I walked you into the classroom and passed you off to your teacher for the first time, but you didn't. You just waved at me and then ran over to paint a picture on the easel."

"The one you framed and hung in your bedroom?" Maxim asked.

"The very same," his mother nodded.

"What did I do on my first day of school?" asked Vasily.

"You cried and the teacher had to unwrap you from around my leg," Red answered, without skipping a beat.

"Loser," Maxim teased his brother right back.

"The thing was, darling," Red continued, looking back at Maxim. "You thrived in that classroom. You made friends, you had fun, you were so eager to learn. Do you know what the only part that upset you was?"

"What?" asked Maxim.

"When I'd come pick you up," his mother said softly. "As soon as you saw me, you'd dissolve into tears and I'd feel terrible. Because, while at school you had so much going on you didn't have time to miss me, but as soon as you saw me, you'd remember how hard it was to be away all day…."

She paused, wondering if her sons were perceptive enough to understand where she was going with this. Vasily had always cried when she left, Maxim had always cried when she came back, and Yuri had always tried to act brave and then compensate by ensuring he got extra cuddles from mama in the evening. The point was that they had all gone and done what they had to do. Usually they had even enjoyed themselves.

"I want you to have such good lives," she told them. "I want you to be so happy. That is all I've ever wanted for you. I don't want you to waste time missing me. I just want what is best for you, and I truly believed keeping distance was the right thing to do so that you could move on with your lives because I can't go with you."

The tears she had been fighting to hold back couldn't resist anymore, and she squeezed both of their hands one more time before she pulled away to wipe off her cheeks.

"You have to let us make our own choices," Maxim reminded her. "You can't just decide we're better off without you and sever all ties. We still need you and we still want you."

"I want to come visit you again," Vasily chimed in. It wasn't easy, it wasn't comfortable, but it was much better than not seeing his mother at all. Sometimes the only choices were between which would cause the least amount of pain. Right now, there could be no happy ending.

"You can come visit me anytime you want," Red assured him. "And I'll call you more. I'll...try."

The visitation hour was coming to a quick close and this time when Red stood up, her sons both felt comfortable walking around to embrace her. They'd changed a lot in the past two years, but so had she.

"I love you," she reminded them both, before watching them walk away with a heavy heart that hurt just as much as it had the last time she had parted from them.

The agony of her broken ribs was nothing compared to her broken heart, which felt as if it were literally crumbling in her chest. Watching her sons walk away had to be one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

Was this going to get easier with time? She wasn't sure if she could stand it. How could she ever come to terms with watching them walk out the front door and return to a world she no longer was a part of? It would have been so much easier to look away and spare her wounded soul the grief, but deep in the pit of her stomach, she knew that they were right. They needed a mother, and checking out of their life, even if her intentions had been honourable, was the wrong choice to make, and God knows she'd made enough wrong decisions to last a lifetime.

She bit her bottom lip painfully. She'd have 18 more years and all of entirety to live with the painful consequences of those mistakes. Redemption? Was there any? She sighed, a small, sad smile tugging at her lips as she purposely willed herself not to cry. Her children. Despite how painful goodbyes would be, and how desperately she'd be counting down the days until their next visit, she could never go wrong with choosing them.

 **Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story until the end.**

 **Thank you Johanna-002 for keeping me going. This wouldn't have gotten completed without your support.**


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